Chocolate Almond Sparkle Cookies

• 1/2 lb (8 oz) bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces or chips (70% or darker recommended)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp wildflower honey
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup almond flour or finely ground almonds (blanched or natural will work)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Nordic Ware Family Recipes: From Jenny’s kitchen

Why this recipe is special: “Christmas cookies are often focused on seasonal flavors such as mint, caramel, almond bark, cinnamon, cardamom, and so on, but I have always thought that no holiday cookie tray is complete without an intensely chocolatey offering. This recipe is based on pastry chef Thomas Haas’ original recipe but has a few adaptations to make them even tastier, and a sugar coating lends a sparkling touch. Bonus: Because they’re nut-flour based, they’re also gluten free (but certainly don’t taste like it!)”

Directions:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave until melted and smooth. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into heated chocolate until melted. Do not heat the mixture further after adding butter.

Beat eggs and gradually add brown sugar and honey. Beat until mixture is pale yellow and has a ribbon-like consistency when it falls off the beater. This may take up to 10 minutes of beating time to incorporate the appropriate amount of air into the batter. Add vanilla and fold melted chocolate into the batter until combined. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the almond flour and mix. Using a folding motion with a spatula, lightly combine flour mixture with chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight if preferred.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Using a teaspoon or a small dough scoop, portion out 1” dough balls. Roll the balls in a small bowl of granulated sugar until evenly coated on all sides, and place on an Insulated Baking Sheet 2” apart. Bake on a middle oven rack 10-12 minutes. Center of cookies may still look ‘wet’ but this is OK; they are meant to have fudgy centers. Makes about 3 dozen 1″ cookies.