So it was game night again and I really wanted to win. As it was in my house and we always tend to have snacks during the game, I thought I would prepare something so sinful that my opponents would be distracted and lose! Chocolate is always a great option, there is hardly anyone I know who can resist it and I just happened to have a bar of Austrian chocolate which is very special. I guess it pays to have an Austrian husband!
As I’m Portuguese I decided to marry this chocolate with a great Portuguese recipe. The result was surprisingly harmonious, the nice bite of the almonds balanced perfectly with the more luscious nature of the chocolate. It is really a very simple and easy recipe and you can shape the cookies to your liking. It is important not to leave the cookies too long in the oven as they will become harder once they cool down. I served them with walnuts as I love the combination of flavours.
Chocolate Almond cookies
(Adapted from a recipe by Carlos Braz Lopes)
Makes 20
- 100 g/3.5 oz almond flour (grind almonds)
- 50 g/1.7 oz almonds, chopped
- 100 g sugar/3.5 oz sugar
- 3 tbsp coffee
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- zest of 1 lemon
- 150 g chocolate, grated
- Preheat the oven to 160º C/320ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix the sugar, the coffee and the unsalted butter together until creamy and well blended. Add the chocolate and the zest of the lemon and mix well. Add the almond flour and the chopped almonds and fold in until well incorporated.
- Shape the dough into small disks or any other shape but don’t flatten them too much. There should be enough dough for 20 cookies. Place the cookies on the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
I don’t really want to brag too much but I won! Can’t guarantee it was the cookies (it might also have been the Mezcal) but I think they helped to distract people, particularly those who couldn’t resist and ate more than one!
Now I understand everything , I could not realize why I lost as well as Alexander. Next time I have to keep open eyes with everything.
But really they were delicious. It was worth to lose.
I’m happy you thought it was worth losing over the cookies! Have to make another delicious treat for next time 🙂
I am sooooo jealous! for not being there with you, playing with all of you, having fun… and those chocolate cookies look so good! I will try to make them. Love you all!!!
Gloria
Next time you come to Mexico, you should make time to play with us. We have so much fun, at least our group does, there are a few people who take things more seriously 🙂 Those chocolate cookies were disappearing fast which was great for my game! Lots of Love from Mexico to Houston!