I love this Italian crumb cookie for it's flavor but I love it even more for the drama and fun it brings to the table. Think of it like bringing a whole pizza to the table. Instead of cutting it into slices with a pizza cutter, you use the back of a large spoon and whack it (gently :)) into pieces! Delicious with an espresso or a cup of strong, black coffee as you wind down the evening.
FREGOLATA
Yield: 8 servings
2/3 c. whole almonds, toasted
1 T. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. grated lemon zest
2 large egg yolks
1/2 t. quality almond extract
Approximately 2 T. milk
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. It will stick to an unlined baking sheet...trust me :)
Pulse the nuts in a food processor to finely chop, allowing some larger pieces of nuts to remain. In a large bowl, stir together the butter, almonds, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest with a wooden spoon.
In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with 1 T. milk and stir in extract.
Drizzle yolk mixture over dry ingredients and combine with your fingers to moisten dry ingredients, adding a little more milk if necessary. The "dough" should look clumpy but not dry, akin to a crisp topping. It needs to be wet enough to hold together when you squeeze a small amount of the dough in your hand.
Sprinkle half the dough into an 8" circle on the prepared baking sheet and lightly press it together to create a thin, even round. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top to give the cookie some texture.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, about 30 minutes. If you like it "extra crispy" turn the oven off and let the cookie sit in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Remove fregolata from the oven. When cool enough to handle, lift the cookie on the parchment paper or silicone mat off the warm baking sheet and set on a rack to cool completely.
To serve, place fregolata on a large platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bring to the table along with a large spoon and whack the cookie to crack it into pieces. Enjoy!