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Almond Pastry Cookies
These small but sophisticated blender cakes are not only eye-catching, but full of bright flavor. The rosemary syrup glaze is a must to complete the flavor profile.
Equipment
- KitchenAid® K400 Blender
- Two 12-cup nonstick muffin pans
- Citrus zester
- Rubber spatula
- Sharp knife
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 1½ tbsp fresh rosemary (stems removed)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese (room temperature)
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 grams blood oranges (small, Cara Cara, or Valencia)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC/gas 4. Generously spray two 12-cup muffin pans with cooking spray. Sprinkle the bottom of each cavity with a couple pinches of sugar. Set aside.
- Add almonds and rosemary to your KitchenAid® K400 Blender. Close lid, select “Ice Crush” setting, and let blender run through the setting. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula, then replace lid and blend on speed 5 for 10 seconds. Scrape sides again and blend on speed 5 for a final 15-20 seconds, or until almonds and rosemary are finely ground.
- Pour the almond mixture from blender in a small mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
- Place ricotta cheese, olive oil, orange zest and sugar into the blender. Pulse 5 times to incorporate. Remove the lid cap and add eggs, one at a time, pulsing once after each addition. Replace lid cap.
- Remove lid, use spatula to scrape down the sides of the bender, then add half of flour mixture to blender and pulse 2 times. Scrape down sides of blender again, then add remaining flour mixture and blend on speed 3 for 15 seconds.
- Assemble the cakes. Use a sharp knife to cut off the ends of four of the citrus fruits. Slice the citrus into very thin rounds, no thicker than 1/8". Remove any seeds from the rounds and place one small citrus round in the bottom of each sugared muffin cavity. (See Chef’s Notes for choosing/placing citrus.)
- Slowly fill each muffin cavity to a little more than halfway full. (A pastry spatula is helpful in portioning the batter from the blender and into the cavities.) Bake cakes for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.
Notes
Kid-Friendly Adaptation: Cook the chicken in broth instead of buffalo sauce. Shred and drain off excess liquid. Put some of the chicken aside for the kiddos (plain, no sauce) and toss the remaining chicken with the buffalo sauce before you broil it.
