Thursday, January 19, 2012

From Almond Biscotti to Lemon Squares

I'm trying to make the perfect almond biscotti. I keep tweaking recipes -- a little less baking soda, a little more almond extract -- but I'm still not there yet.

One recipe called for amaretto liqueur. Definitely not something I keep on hand. So, in the middle of day, I went to the liquor store. The guy behind the counter said that Disaronno was my best bet and, since I only needed 2 tablespoons, he found a nip for me. And then he looked a little wistful... "You said you were baking a cake?" "Cookies." "Ohhh... cookies..." He doesn't deal with too many bakers. And he'd really like a cookie. Maybe I could barter for champagne?

But, when I couldn't find ground anise at the grocery store, I put biscotti on pause. I sat down with Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies (I read cookbooks the way some women read romance novels...) and I picked out a recipe, purely based on what ingredients I have in my kitchen.

Lemon squares. Bingo.


There's a sweet and tangy lemon filling on top of a buttery, crunchy crust. I can't really elaborate further. They're just... stupid good. Good enough to make me forget all about biscotti.

[Alice Medrich's Very Tangy Lemon Bars 2.0 recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies]

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