Frankfurter Brenton Cookies

This is a new version for this type of cookie using a 10 ounce can of almond paste rather than an 8 ounce package. Remember that you need small molds for Frankfurter Brenton cookies. The dough should be thinner than the dough needed for Springerle cookies.

Ingredients:

- 10 oz almond paste (NOT almond filling)

- ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour

- 2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar

- 1 ½ teaspoon water or flower water*

- 1 ½ Tablespoons egg white

- *Rosewater or Orange flower water gives an authentic European aroma and flavor. Or you can substitute vanilla.

Instructions:

Knead all ingredients into a firm, smooth dough. You may need to add ½ teaspoon of water if the dough seems too crumbly. Gather the dough into a flattened round, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for one hour. (No longer than 2 hours)

Working on a dry surface dusted with confectioner's sugar, roll out the dough to a scant ½ inch thickness. Using a pastry brush, brush the desired cookie mold with confectioner's sugar and press firmly into the dough. Cut and transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Repeat, brushing the cookie mold for every pressing. Dry the cookies uncovered for 4-12 hours and up to 24 hours.

Bake at 275 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. The peaks on the cookies will turn slightly brown, while the remainder stays cream-colored. If you want to prevent browning, place an empty cookie sheet on the top shelf of the ovens you bake the cookies on the center shelf.

Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before you place them on a cooling rack. Cool completely and then store in tins. These cookies are best if eaten within 3 or 4 days.

These cookies are very rich and sweet, so they are best made small. Bitter chocolate, melted and brushed on the bottom of baked cooled cookies, provides a wonderful flavor counterpoint.

NOTE: You may make the Frankfurter Brenton dough in a food processor. Break the almond paste into pieces and put it into the bowl of the food processor with the regular metal blade. Pulse until the almond paste is in very small pieces, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until well mixed. Then knead the dough by hand until it is very smooth.

Tips for adding color to your cookies:

Adding Color to Frankfurter Brenton: When adding food coloring gel to the Frankfurter Brenton batch of mixed ingredients, the coloration may be quite mottled. For a smooth distribution of color, knead the dough thoroughly by hand, something that is necessary to make the dough come together anyway.

Adding Color to Springerles: To dye your dough, add the food coloring gel before you start adding flour to the dough. Add just 2 cups of flour to the dough and then decide if you want a deeper color. This would be the best time to add another drop of gel. It will be hard to know how much gel to add to get the depth of color you wish to have, but impossible to knead the color in evenly after all the flour is added. It will take some experimentation to figure out how much gel you need to get the color you want. It can be easy to go overboard with the color, so start with small amounts as you can always add more.