Almond Polenta Crumb Cookies Recipes

POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together the polenta, flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and yolk one by one, then add the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a firm dough forms.
• Divide the dough in half, place each piece onto a piece of parchment or wax paper, and shape the dough into a rough log about 2 inches in diameter, dusting with cornmeal as needed to prevent sticking. Roll up in the paper, twisting the ends to seal, and roll back and forth a few times to smooth out the shape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. (At this point, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. With a sharp knife, cut the cookies into 1/2-inch slices, and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating halfway through, until cookies are just golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Polenta cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

GIANT ALMOND CRUMB COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk almonds, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Work in butter until completely incorporated with no dry crumbs. Squeeze mixture to create pea-size-to-1-inch clumps.
• Transfer all but 1 1/2 cups of mixture to pan. Press mixture into pan to compress dough. Sprinkle with reserved 1 1/2 cups of mixture; transfer to oven.
• Bake, rotating pan 2 to 3 times, until cookie begins to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees. Bake until golden brown and fairly dry, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

CHOC AND ALMOND POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Place the polenta in a bowl and add enough boiling water just to cover. Stir well, cover and leave to stand until all the water is absorbed (approx 30 mins). If using ready made polenta move directly to step 2.
• Preheat oven to 190C/375F and grease and line the base of a round deep cake tin 8.5 inches/22 cm
• Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water
• Whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until the mixture is thick and pale. Beat in the melted chocolate then fold in the moistened polenta, ground almonds, flour and orange rind
• Whisk he egg whites in a clean grease free bowl until stiff. Lightly stir in 1 tbsp of the whites into the chocolate cake mixture and then fold in the rest followed by the blanched almonds.
• Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch. Cool on a rack then dust with icing sugar and the cherries.