Social Kitchen

Oh, hello.  I know, I know.  I just up and disappeared on you for the entire month of April.  Wanna know the reason why?  I have had nothing to post!  I have been making homemade almond milk over and over again, and I keep thinking that I’ll bake something from the resulting almond meal that I get from making almond milk, but instead I put it in my oatmeal in the morning, and it’s all just a cycle that I can’t seem to break out of!  A month long cycle.  A month long, almond-filled cycle.  I’m ready to break out.

These cookies (that have a touch of almond flour in them!), I made a really long time ago.  Years ago, even.  I thought that my photographs of the cookies weren’t pretty enough to post, and they were not a popular enough cookie for people to know what they are supposed to look like.  But, man, they were delicious.

And then, all of a sudden, for the past couple weeks, I’m seeing starry starry night cookies pop up everywhere!  On all the food blogs, in magazines, on food lists.  Everywhere.  So, it is time.  These cookies are dark and chocolatey and nutty and fudgey, and everything you need for a bite of sweetness. Perfect with some almond milk. Don’t wait years to make this one.

Starry Starry Night Cookies (recipe from My Life from Scratch)

2 eggs

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. sugar, plus additional for dipping

1 tbsp. honey

8.2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 tbsp. butter

5/8 cup slivered almonds, ground to a fine powder1

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

Combine the eggs, sugar, and honey in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat with the whisk attachment on high speed until the mixture reaches a thick ribbon stage.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Cool slightly.

Toss the almond flour, salt, and cocoa in a bowl until well combined. Add to the melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated.

Add a quarter of the whipped egg mixture to the chocolate to lighten.  Stir until no egg is visible.  Gently fold the rest of the egg mixture into the chocolate until well combined, being careful to maintain the aerated quality of the eggs.

Chill until firm.

Place a few tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.  Using the smallest cookie scooper available (melon scooper sized), scoop individual cookies, dip them in the sugar, and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan 1/2 inch apart.  Freeze uncovered until very hard, about an hour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Just before baking, dip each cookie in sugar again. Bake 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes to ensure even baking.  Cookies should be slightly cracked but the sugar should not be browned.

I would like to note that there are many versions of this recipe.  With every type of cracker, with all types of chocolate, and with various topping to sprinkle over.  All of these recipes are called crack.  No joke.  There is no other universal name for this recipe.

So let me tell you what the components of crack are: a cracker of some sort, brown sugar, butter, chocolate, vanilla and salt.  Yep.  The naming of this recipe seems about right.  And the addictive qualities are those of what the actual substance are (or so I hear, people…come on now) – I’ve already eaten about half of the pan, even though I finished making this about 10 minutes ago.  Yes.  Stomach ache.  Worth it.

So be careful making this.  It’s lethal, but so, so good.  Make it Passover friendly this week!  Or make it Passover friendly all weeks!  Because, trust me, you’ll be making this all weeks.

Chocolate Toffee Matzo (recipe from David Lebovitz)

It has been noted that for Passover, this recipe works well with margarine; also omit the vanilla extract or find a kosher brand.

• 4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzohs (or saltine crackers, enough to be lined up on a baking sheet)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (160g) semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
• 1 cup (80g) toasted sliced almonds (or another favorite nut)
• a sprinkle of flaky sea salt

Line a rimmed baking sheet completely with foil, making sure the foil goes up and over the edges. Cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 375F.

Line the bottom of the sheet with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.

In a medium sized pot, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is beginning to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add 1/2 tsp. salt and vanilla, and pour over matzoh, spreading evenly with a heatproof spatula.

Put the pan in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350F degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. As it bakes, it will bubble up but make sure it’s not burning every once in a while. If it is in spots, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 325F, then replace the pan.

Remove from oven and immediately evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes.  They will melt and then you will be able to spread all over with an offset spatula.

Sprinkle with toasted almonds (or another favorite nut, toasted and coarsely-chopped), and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Let cool completely, first at room temperature, and then in the refrigerator, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It should keep well for about one week.  Ha, it will never last that long.