Chocolate Almond Rounds

I'm eating alot these days, finishing my meals and snacking consistently on top of this, ever since I got back from Taiwan. This is so not good....oh well. And what do I do to feed the incessant snack cravings? I bake more cookies.

I feel guilty when I was writing that down, knowing that I'm indulging in one of my favourite pasttimes to fuel the snack cravings, makes me feel terrible, like a cookie monster. Yet somehow, beyond all this uneasiness, I feel a distinct pleasure in snacking on the cookies that came out from my own kitchen, a sense of satisfaction. I wish that there will come a day when most of the food items found at home will be made by me - bread, granola, jams, sauces etc. That will be really, really nice...

Well, dream on for now. We'll see whether it happens in the future. In the meantime, more cookies from my kitchen for the cookie jar. I made these Chocolate Almond Rounds with the recipe from Okashi. I love slice and bake cookies. They keep and bake so beautifully, perfect for days when you crave a fresh tray of cookies. I especially love the look of the granulated sugar round the edges of each cookie, its sweetness complementing the sandy, buttery cookie perfectly.

I tried having one without the granulated sugar on the sides and the taste just doesn't cut it. Be sure to follow through with that extra step if you decide to make this alright? It'll be worth the effort, trust me.

Have these with a good cuppa coffee on a lazy weekend afternoon while enjoying a good book. Sometimes life can be so simple, yet very enjoyable...

Chocolate Almond Rounds

adapted from Okashi

Ingredients:

40g blanched almond silvers

150 pastry flour

20g cocoa powder

120g unsalted butter, softened

70g confectioner's sugar

1 egg yolk

pinch of salt

granulated sugar (for rolling)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius, then bake the almond silvers for 10 mins. Sift the flour and cocoa powder.

2. Beat butter, sugar and salt until softened. Add the egg yolk and mix well.

3. Fold flour and cocoa powder into the butter mixture using a spatula. Add the toasted almond silvers. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

4. Shape the dough into a log of about 4cm in diameter, wrap it with parchment and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Dough can keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

5. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

6. Slice the log into 7mm thick pieces, roll the edges in granulated sugar and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment 1 inch apart. Bake for about 20 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool before storing in an airtight contaiiner. Keeps up to 10 days.

Yields 30 cookies.