Spoiling My Appetite (ATK #8)

Inspirational song: Makin' It (David Naughton)

I had been trying to come up with a way to indulge in a few traditional holiday sweets, without going back on my absolutely necessary dietary changes. I remembered the almond shortbread cookies I made for the very first installment of Annie's Test Kitchen, back in June. I have been desperate for something sweet and spicy, ever since I strained the dregs of whole spices from the mulled wine out of the base of the crock pot, and put them on the stove in water, as simmering potpourri just like mom used to do. A few years ago, I discovered a recipe for speculaas, an abundantly spicy cookie from Northern Europe (Germany? Norway? I forget exactly), and I fell in love with it. Today, I tested the feasibility of combining the two recipes, and the results were so amazingly perfect, I had a hard time slowing down long enough to take a couple pictures of the finished cookies. I wanted to eat all of them immediately, but somewhere I found the strength to save a few for the man. I certainly spoiled my appetite for dinner, as I wasn't ready to eat until after 8 this evening.

As usual, I did a lot of winging it as I combined recipes. The shortbread called for maple syrup as its only sweetener, but I didn't have the full 1/4 cup left to do it, so I did what my grandfather would have suggested, and reached for the molasses. Oh, yes, I am definitely his granddaughter. It was the right combination. I thought I used a heavy hand with the spices, but I wouldn't mind even more in the batch I plan to make next week to take with me to my dad's cabin. And as it turns out, these were pretty spiffy with a scoop of organic chocolate ice cream on top, and drizzled with a little amaretto. (That was the man's idea, and he gets full points for that one.)

For a full explanation of the base cookie recipe, refer to the first Annie's Test Kitchen blog post, here: http://scenesfromsmithpark.blogspot.com/2014/06/annies-test-kitchen-part-1.html

Grain Free Speculaas

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 c finely ground almond flour
1/2 c tapioca starch
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 T cinnamon (or more on all spices, to taste)
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t anise
1/2 t ginger
dash allspice
dash cardamom

Wet ingredients:

3 T (heaping) dark brown sugar
1/3 c melted butter
1/4 c maple syrup (or half maple, half molasses)
1 T vanilla extract

Blend the dry ingredients thoroughly, then stir in the wet and stir until uniformly mixed. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet a couple inches apart. Bake at 350 until well done, about 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until set and crisp.