I love biscotti, over the next few months you will see me post quite a few. These Almond Slices are very special to me. The recipe was given to me by a wonderful woman named Angie Carbonetti. She and her husband, Freddie, basically adopted our family when we moved to Mansfield in 1992. We had purchase a local family business and they made us feel right at home. Angie was a phenomenal cook. No one could make fried squash flowers, spinach meatballs or fried egg sandwiches better than Angie.
Angie and I shared a passion for baking cookies. I made cookies that looked like they came from my kitchen, Angie's looked like they had been made in a bakery. She made everything from chocolate chip cookies to intricate Italian delights. These cookies were one of my favorites. They remind me of quasmali, an Italian almond biscotti. These have a sweet orange flavor which is a great balance with the cinnamon and cloves.
Angie passed away a few years ago and I am very fortunate that she shared her recipe with me. In tradition with my family naming cookies after themselves ( see Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies) I name these Angie's Almond Bars.
Ingredients
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cloves
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of grated orange rind
1 tablespoon of orange juice
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/2 cups of roasted sliced almonds
1 beaten egg
Roast almonds on a cookie sheet until slightly golden at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch closely as they go from golden to dark in a matter of minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Mix sugars, oil and 2 eggs. When well blended add the baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, orange rind and orange juice. Mix until incorporated, then add the flour. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Add the cooled almonds. If the mixture is too sticky to stir, use your hands to mix. Shape into strips the length of the cookie sheets approximately 3 inches wide and 1 inch in height. You should have enough dough for two cookie sheets. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. The top will become dry and cracked. Make sure when touched the dough springs back. Once the strips are cooled. Remove from sheets and cut into bars (similar to biscotti). If you like a chewy cookie, you are done making these bars. If you like a crunchier cookie, return the sliced cookies to the cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. Sit down, make yourself a hot beverage and start dunking!
