Ok, this is a bit of a random flavor profile, but run with it, shall we? Last weekend, when I went to Eataly, they had a huge section of Italian jams, mustards and chutneys. I was intrigued, and picked out a savory jam with figs and a little bit of onion and mustard seed. Not, it doesn’t taste mustardy, just savory. Anyway, what to do with said concoction? Well, one thing certainly would have been to eat it along with cheese and crackers, but I thought that I would make my own “crackers” (aka savory cookies) and ended up with rosemary and chili flakes in them. Fantastic! These are definitely an “eat with cheese” (or salami or olives) type of “cookie” but very tasty. Experiment successful? I’d say yes!
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond meal
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chili flakes
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup spiced fig jam
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add in salt, extract, rosemary, chili flakes and ground almonds. Mix in the flour until well combined. Let rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator before continuing. This step is important so don’t skip it.
Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare your cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
Scoop general balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) and roll into balls. Press a thumb or forefinger into each, creating a depression. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and with the back of a wooden spoon, redefine the depression and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of the jam and sprinkle on a touch of sea salt. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
