#56 Cook Every Dish From One Cookbook

The cookbook: A16 Food + Wine

Recipe #1 (not in any particular order): Croccante (an Italian almond cookie)

The day I received my cookbook in the mail, a customer called to order the Italian Cookie Platter from our catering menu. This was the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling (in this case it's a cookie dough ball). There are several different types of Croccante, most recipes you'll find online are for the ones that are similar to a brittle. The one in A16 includes flour so turns out more of a crispy cookie. I'm pretty sure its illegal for me to put the actual recipe in my blog, so I will refrain (I guess you'll have to buy the cookbook). Giada, from the Food Network, does have a great brittle style recipe called Hazelnut Crunch, they are tasty too.

Let me start by saying that baking is not my forte, the measurements have to be too exact for my liking. I'd rather saute, sear, braise, or even grill. But, I do have the ability to read and follow directions (oh, my kindergarten teacher would be so proud). These cookies were super simple & ended up looking very similar to the one in the book. I only have one complaint: Why do recipes always say "bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown." In my experience cookies are never ready in 12 minutes and golden brown is closer to 20 or 25.

My cookies didn't turn out perfectly rectangular like the photo, but they were close. These cookies were delicious! I am hoping that this is an indication of how the rest of the cookbook will taste.

Total Recipes: 92
Recipes Completed: 1 (91 to go!)