Description

An Italian crumb cookie (fregolata) is easy to make and fun to serve.

Transcript

Italian Crumb Cookies First impressions go a long way and the fregolata will not disappoint. A large crumb cookie from Italy, the fregolata is easy to form and a blast to present at a big family dinner. Begin with your food processor. Place two thirds of a cup of toasted whole almonds with or without skins in your processor and pulse, finely chopped allowing some large pieces of nuts to remain. Now in a large bowl, combine the chopped almonds, two thirds of a cup of all purpose flour, one half of cup of sugar, one quarter of a teaspoon of fine salt and one quarter of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and one tablespoon of butter. Incorporate everything together with your fingers and set aside. Now in another bowl, combine two large egg yolks, one tablespoon of whole milk and half a teaspoon of almond extract. Beat everything together and drizzle the yolk mixture all over the almond mixture. Toss with your fingers to combine and be sure you get everything moistened. If you need to, you can add up to one more tablespoon of milk. The mixture should still be crumbly, but not dry. Okay, now you can line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Sprinkle one cup or about half of the crumbs in a circle on a prepared baking sheet and cover with the sheet of parchment paper. Press lightly with your fingers to create a thin even layer. Remove the top parchment paper and sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top to give the cookies some texture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. After the cookie comes out of the oven, transfer it to a rack to cool completely. Garnish it with confectioner’s sugar. When the cookie is ready, loosen it from the parchment paper with a thin all set spatula. To serve, place the fregolata on top of an espresso cup or small bowl and tap the top of the cookie with the spoon to crack into serving pieces. With this festive fregolata, you’ll spread Christmas all around your holiday table.