BREAKING THE FAST – WITH COOKIES

The single most important ingredient of these break-the fast cookies are almonds, since they are delicious and have such a rich flavor.

By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN
Almond cookies (photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)
Almond cookies
(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)
After the shofar is blown to signal the end of Yom Kippur, it’s customary to break the fast with a cup of tea, cookies and jam before sitting down to a full meal. Below, I’ve listed a few recipes for cookies that are perfect for breaking the fast.
The single most important ingredient of these break-the fast cookies are almonds, since they are delicious and have such a rich flavor. First, you have the light-colored hard shell.
Once you crack open the shell, you get to the almond itself with the thin dark peel that comes off only if you bake them or boil them in water.
Only then do you encounter the ivory white meat of the almond in all its glory.
So many different desserts with varying textures can be made with almonds.
They can be ground, crushed, sliced and spread. When you take a bite of a dessert that was created with almonds, the goodness spreads throughout your whole body.
Anyone who fasts knows that by the end of Yom Kippur you are physically and emotionally exhausted. Eating desserts made with almonds at the end of the fast is a great way to replenish our bodies and our souls.
Gmar hatima tova.
ALMOND LEMON TORTE Of all the cookies I’ve eaten over the years to break the fast after Yom Kippur, my favorite has always been a torte that is cooked in a wonder pot. Sometimes they are made with lemon or orange. The following is a recipe my mother used to prepare when I was young.
Cook in a tall wonder pot.
6 large eggs, separated 1½ cups sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar 1 tsp. lemon zest 1 cup flour, sifted ½ cup almond flour 3 heaping Tbsp. lemon juice Topping ½ cup sliced almonds In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg whites and beat at high speed. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla sugar while mixing. Continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Gradually add egg yolks and mix until smooth.
Fold in lemon zest gently. Then fold in the flour, almond flour and lemon juice. Gently mix and then pour batter into a greased pan. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Let cool.
ADDICTIVE ALMOND COOKIES These cookies are a very popular Balkan treat that are shaped like crescents or balls and are covered with powdered sugar. Some people add an egg to the recipe, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
Makes 35 to 40 cookies.
100 gr. butter or margarine, softened (can also use coconut or canola oil) ¼ tsp. salt 1 cup caster or powdered sugar 1 tsp. quality vanilla extract 1 drop almond extract Zest from ½ lemon 2 Tbsp. water or Rosetta liquid 1 cup blanched almonds, ground finely ¾ cup flour, sifted 2 level Tbsp. cornflour ½ tsp. baking powder Topping 1 cup powdered sugar With a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the butter or margarine together with the salt, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, water or Rosetta until light and creamy. Add ground almonds, flour, cornflour and baking powder while continuing to mix on low speed. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead batter.
Separate batter into 35 to 40 small balls. Form cookies into crescent shape if desired.
Set crescents on a tray covered with baking paper. If you’ve left the cookies as balls, push down to flatten them a little. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 165° or 170° for 15 minutes or until they become crispy but are still light colored.
Remove and let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and store in a box. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar.
TIPascale Instead of using almonds, you can use ground pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts.
ALMOND SQUARES I love baking squares with almonds and other flavors that are filled with all sorts of sweet goodness.
A variety of ingredients can be used to make them and it’s fun to make a big cake and then cut them into squares and store them as if they were cookies.
In the following recipe, the almonds make every bite stupendous.
Use a 20 cm. x 20 cm. pan or a 22 cm. x 22 cm. pan.
50 gr. butter, softened 2 Tbsp. coconut oil ¾ cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 packet vanilla sugar 1 to 2 drops almond concentrate 200 gr. blanched almonds (without skins), ground finely 2 Tbsp. flour, sifted ½ Tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. lemon or orange zest Toppings ½ cup sliced almonds ¼ cup powdered sugar Put the butter and coconut oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and mix for two minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time while mixing and continue to mix until smooth.
Add the vanilla sugar, almond extract, ground almonds, flour, baking powder and lemon or orange zest. Mix until smooth and thick.
Line a tray with baking paper and pour in mixture.
Flatten batter so that it isn’t over 2 cm. high. Sprinkle almonds on top evenly. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 160° for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil so that cake doesn’t dry out.
After cake has cooled, use the baking paper to help you remove cake from pan.
Cut off any edges of the cake necessary to make the cake rectangular. Cut cake into squares (4x4 or 5x5) and then sprinkle with almond slivers and powdered sugar.
ALMOND COCONUT COOKIES This wonderful batter does not contain eggs and it’s really easy to make. You can use it to make any type of cookie. I don’t mind if the filling spills out a little bit. I brush a little syrup on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Makes 50 cookies.
Batter 3½ cups flour, sifted ½ cup almond flour 1 packet baking powder ½ cup oil 50 g coconut cream 1 cup water, orange juice or Rosetta liquid ½ cup powdered or caster sugar Filling 1 cup blanched almonds, ground ½ cup coconut flakes 2 to 3 Tbsp. honey or sugar-free silan 1 to 2 drops almond extract ¾ cup halva, crumbled Topping 1 cup syrup ½ cup sesame seeds In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the ingredients in the order they’re listed. Mix until smooth and dough begins to fall away from side of bowl. If the dough is too soft, add one or two tablespoons of flour. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Separate dough into four sections and roll out each section to a thickness of ½ cm. Sprinkle with almonds and coconut flakes. In a bowl, mix honey or silan together with almond extract and drip on top. Sprinkle with crumbled halva.
Roll up the dough with the filling starting from the side closer to you.
Cut the roll into slices that are 1½ cm. thick. Prepare the other rolls in the same fashion.
Place the slices on a baking tray and brush with syrup and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 15 minutes and then lower temperature to 170° and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Remove and let cool. Make sure not to overcook cookies or let them dry out.
Translated by Hannah Hochner.