Sbrisolona Cookies

Makes 12  servings

Equipment: 9-inch square pan lined with parchment or a 9-inch springform or tart pan with removable bottom.  👉 If you wish your cookies to be even more crispy, use a slightly larger pan.  

1 ½ cups all purpose flour (270 grams) 👉 I used White Lily White Baking Flour

1 ½ cups almond flour (160 grams)

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 👉I used salted butter and reduced the salt by half

½ cup whole almonds, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 large egg

½ teaspoon almond extract 

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Topping:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons whole almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 

Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with the parchment overlaping the sides (to use as a handle to lift out the cookie) 👉 Photo Below. Or, grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom. 

I used a food processor to coarsely chop the whole almonds and then finished chopping them to get the size I wanted (about the size of large diamonds) on a cutting board with a chef's knife.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Mix well to combine. 

Add the cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knifes, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The butter should be well distributed throughout the mixture, and be about the size of peas or smaller.  Stir the roughly chopped almonds and lemon zest into the crumbly mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, almond extract and scraped insides of vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) together. Pour egg mixture over the dry ingredients. Using your hands, or a large fork, gently mix and press the mixture together until it begin to come together. Do not to overwork the dough; it should still be quite crumbly.

Transfer the crumbly dough into the prepared pan. Press it down firmly and evenly to form an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top and press in coarsely chopped almonds.  I used a smaller square pan to press down on the mixture (covered with another piece of parchment paper) in order to get it evenly distributed in the pan. 

Bake the sbrisolona in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The center may still be slightly soft, but it will firm up as it cools.

Remove the sbrisolona from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove it from the pan.  You may cut it or break it into pieces after it has cooled.  

👉 If the cut cookies lose their crispiness, put them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes, as you would second-bake biscotti.  After they cool they will be nice and crispy again!

Cookies may be stored in a container at room temperature for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.