Toasted Almond Cookies with Dried Fig Filling

I made these cookies for my sweetheart. Whenever I create a flour storm in the kitchen, he keeps his mouth quiet, pretending as if the counter tops were not strewn with powdered sugar and there was not a pile of dishes in the sink stacked so precariously it could rival the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Rarely a peep is heard as I run around taking pictures and get crumbs all over the living room floor. Though he is always willing to give whatever comes out of the oven a fair try (even if he might need a little push), his favorite "experiments" to taste are, hands down, the cookies.

You could say that I am dating a cookie man.

It was our third anniversary of being together this past month. Worse than a television sitcom where the clueless husband forgets an important anniversary, we both completely spaced out the date, remembering two weeks later as the calendar was flipped over to a new month. I wonder if this is how an old married couple feels, forgetting the important dates as their time together grows. Is simply being around one another enough of a celebration? With the date so far past gone and Valentine's Day right around the corner, it just seems silly to go back and observe the much belated anniversary.

Perhaps I should circle the date with a big red marker on the calendar for next year.

Even though there was no fanfare, fancy dinner, or real recognition of the special day, there were these Toasted Almond Cookies. Cut out with hearts and filled with honey sweetened figs, they rested in the cookie jar on the counter top, unknowingly appropriate and deliciously celebratory. During the few days that these cookies lasted, the boy and I would sneak them when we thought the other was not looking, trying to hide the fact that we were eating a couple more cookies than we should.

I may be dishearteningly forgetful, but there may be something to be said about a baker's intuition.

Toasted Almond Cookies with Dried Fig Filling are a twist on the traditional linzer cookie. Almonds are toasted before being ground and turned into cookies. With a dash of cinnamon, the cookies have a bold, beautiful intensity. When sandwiched together with a filling made from dried figs, honey, and brown sugar, a truly unique flavor emerges. The cookies are firm on the first day and soften on the second, providing a range of textures to enjoy.

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Fig and Balsamic Jam

The fig and I have an on-again off-again relationship. He is an unassuming, dumpy little gentleman if I ever saw one. At least that's what I thought until he got up the nerve to flash me. The audacity! I just can't look at him the same anymore--not after being exposed to all that eye candy.
Our love affair was brief. He took me for brunch and we dined on pancakes. He treated me to decadent desserts (and oh he can be so sweet-tempered smothered in chocolate). Then things headed south. He got cloying, sugar-coating all his words. More than once he got just a little too ripe with me.

I was at fault too. I was fickle. He caught me checking out the pears in the grocery aisle. I brushed him off to spend quality time with the apples. But we can never stray from each other for long. He always finds his way back to my kitchen table.

I will admit I was wary of making this jam. Figs and balsamic? Peppercorns? I couldn't imagine the taste, which made me suspicious. Thankfully, my curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a try. Oh, I am so glad I did. Figs and balsamic are like a match made in heaven. With jams, I generally get concerned that the sugar will overtake the jam and drown out the flavors, but with this one the peppercorns and lemon juice really keep that in check (and add a nice kick too!). If you are wary of this fig and balsamic jam like I was, you are going to miss out on a uniquely delicious flavor combination.

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