This traditional German cookie, contributed from Judy Prussin derives its almond flavor from a nice dose of Amaretto, which pairs with a variety of dried fruit and nuts. Mandel bread is biscotti, without good PR. They are a twice baked, stand up to a tall iced coffee, crunchy, chocolaty delight.
Spiked Mandel Bread
Servings
28 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 stick ½ cup butter, room temperature (margarine can be substituted)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Amaretto
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour plus more if needed
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ to 2 cup assorted nuts and dried fruit; almonds hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, dried cranberries & dried cherries (break-up any large pieces)
- 1½ cup chopped white chocolate or 12 ounces white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a 20 x15-inch baking sheet
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl, on medium speed, until light and creamy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs and Amaretto.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. On low speed, stir the flour into the butter mixture and then blend on medium speed until well combined. The dough will be thick, pasty, and wet. If the dough is very wet, add a little more flour. Thoroughly stir in the nuts, dried fruit and white chocolate. Divide the dough in half. On the prepared baking sheet, shape each half of dough into a log about 14 inches long x 1 ½ inches wide x 1 ½ inches high, (lightly wet your hands or use the spatula will help shape the logs). Space the logs several inches apart, as they will grow while baking.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, the top of the cookie should be firm. Carefully transfer the logs from the baking sheet to a cooling tray and let them cool for 1 hour. You can turn the oven off and reheat it about 20 minutes before you need to bake the cookies for the second time. After an hour, using a serrated knife, slice the logs, on the diagonal, into pieces that are about 1- inch thick. Try not to use a rocking motion, which might break the cookies. Transfer the cut-cookies back onto the baking sheet, standing them upright, about ¼-inch apart. Bake at 325 degrees for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like them. Cool the cookies on a tray and store them in a sealed container.
- Source: Recipes Remembered, A Celebration of Survival
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