Tonight there's gonna be a pretty swell homecoming dinner at my house and all I got to cook was a batch of these lousy cookies.
Seriously. There's several courses planned. Not even a pasta course am I asked to contribute!
Jeesch!
Anyhow, what I'm lacking in quantity I'll make up for in class. These cookies are really delicious, and on the elegant side (just like my friend Scott, the one who's returning home after several months away). I got the idea for them after seeing this dolci di noci recipe from Calabria, but decided to mess with the recipe and also add the chocolate and the orange.
I should mention that the kitchen has been in constant use all day (by the real cook in the house). To pull off this important "cookie course" of mine I had to get in and out of the kitchen quickly. In other words, they're some of the easiest cookies you will ever lay eyes on.
There's no flour in this recipe. This is 1 pound of walnuts and 1 cup of sugar that's been ground in a food processor. It's ground very finely but not to a powder.
Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and the zest of two large oranges.
Then add two large eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Mix everything together with a spatula until it starts to clump up.
But I find it best to use my hands to finish up the mixing.
Here's the finished mixture; it only takes a couple minutes to pull together.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and form balls with the dough (around 1 inch high by 1 1/2 inches wide). Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes.
This batch baked for just shy of 20 minutes. It amounted to 25 cookies.
Allow the cookies to cool, then top with confectioners sugar and have at it.
If they let me cook an actual appetizer or entree next time people come over I'll be sure to let you know.
