Snack: Almond and Banana Cookies

(Viscotti di'Mandorla Banana)These viscotti—Sicilian biscotti—come in many flavors; bakeries use food coloring to give customers a visual clue. In this case, yellow equals banana.

Ingredients

12 ounces whole blanched almonds ( 2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
A few drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1 large ripe banana (6 ounces), cut into pieces
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Garnish: confectioners sugar
Special equipment: a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip and parchment paper

Instructions

Pulse almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground, then add sugar and pulse until almonds are finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add almond extract, food coloring, banana, and egg white and mix with an electric mixer at low speed until a sticky, heavy paste forms. Spoon into pastry bag.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly butter. Pipe 3- by 3/4-inch strips of dough onto paper about 1/2 inch apart. Chill, uncovered, overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Preheat oven to 300 °F.
Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, 20 minutes total.
Cool on sheets on racks 10 minutes, then bake 15 minutes more. Cool completely on sheets on racks. Peel cookies from paper.

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