It’s that time of year again, when we all start poring through the endless volumes of holiday cookie recipes in search of something new to liven up the standard repertoire. It’s my favorite part of the season, actually, because when the sky is dark before I even think about leaving work, any opportunity to fill the house with the smell of cookies makes these long evenings a little more bearable.

So with that in mind, let me introduce you to a new favorite, discovered just this week: lacy, buttery tuiles of toasted almond, brightened up with a nice little zing of orange. Orange and almond are a classic pair for good reason; I even find them as evocative as rosemary and gingerbread, but not so representative of the season that they’d be out of place in spring or summer.

The texture is crisp and delicate, but they’re not as papery-fragile as some tuile cookies. The nuts, chopped finely-but-not-too-finely (don’t grind them to dust in the processor, you’ll lose the nice texture), give a satisfying crunch amid the buttery richness that belies their slim size. I think they’d pair very well with an elegant flute of Champagne, or maybe perched atop a cool bowl of sorbet. Or how about as a gift, packaged with colorful tissue wrap and neatly boxed with a big bow? They keep for a extremely well, too - up to a month in the freezer, and at least a week at room temperature - which is a definite bonus, especially around holiday time.

If you make these (and I strongly encourage it!), do exercise a bit of caution while they’re baking. The lacy edges go from perfectly golden to burnt-brown in mere seconds, so if they look close to being done, close the oven door, count to 5, and check again. Sneaky trick: if it’s just the edges that are a little too brown, you can usually break them off carefully (after the cookies are well cooled, of course) and no one will be the wiser, thanks to their lacy shape.

Orange-Almond Lace Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet, December 1999

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add chopped almonds, sugar, flour, orange zest and salt, then stir in egg until well combined. The batter will be thin. Drop batter by generous teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart (cookies will spread while baking).

Bake cookies until lacy and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Gently slide parchment paper with cookies onto rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter. If desire, transfer cooled cookies to sheets of paper towels to absorb some of the butter before storing in an airtight container.

Cookies can be made ahead and stored airtight at room temperature at least 1 week or frozen up to a month.

Posted by the cookworm on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 11:52 am.