There is nothing more inviting than a jar full of cookies sitting on your kitchen counter, waiting to be devoured.
… And even more so when said jar is filled with Marti Buckley’s Almond Cookies. Straight out of her new book ‘Basque Country’, these cookies are perfect with your morning coffee, after lunch sweet or evening treat. In fact, there are totally addictive – so you’ll probably be sneaking back to the biscuit tin throughout the day.
Extracted from Basque Country by Marti Buckley (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018. Photographs by Simon Bajada.
ALMOND COOKIES Teilak
‘Legend has it that the teila, a tile-shaped almond cookie, was created by Luís María Eceiza. Hailing from a family of bakers who founded the eponymous Eceiza bakery in 1924, Luís created the teila when his friend Julian asked for a simple dessert to serve in his steakhouse. While the teila is reminiscent of the French tuile, like all things Basque, it tends toward the rustic. Traditional recipes forgo luxuries like melted butter and pastry flour, and use the entire egg instead of just the white.
When making these cookies at home, a rolling pin serves nicely to form the cookie’s curved shape; a wine bottle can work in a pinch. Working quickly is important, because once cooled, the teilak won’t bend into shape. You can substitute chopped almonds for the almond meal and part of the flour for a more country-style cookie.’
– Excerpted from Basque Country by Marti Buckley (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018.
Makes 2 to 3 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
Unsalted butter, for greasing (optional)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175 g) sugar
1½ cups (165 g) almond meal
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ cup (60 g) slivered almonds
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, or grease very well with butter.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, almond meal, flour, and salt. Add the eggs and, with a wooden spatula, mix well until completely combined. Add the lemon zest and mix well.
Make small mounds of batter, about a heaping teaspoon, on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart. With the back of a spoon, smooth the batter into thin circles, wetting the spoon with water after every other mound. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds.
Bake, turning halfway through, until the golden color at the edges gets dark and begins to creep toward the center, 11 to 13 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and, working quickly with a metal spatula, press each cookie gently against a round mold or rolling pin to achieve the roof tile shape.
Once the cookies harden completely (less than a minute), you can remove them from the mould/pin and transfer to a sealable plastic bag or airtight container
– Excerpted from Basque Country by Marti Buckley (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018.
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Author, Marti Buckley by Simon Bajada
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Image & Text Credits: Excerpted from Basque Country by Marti Buckley (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018.
