A delicious digestive and libido-boosting treat with your health and wellness top of mind. Dress the cookies up with an optional dusting of powdered sugar, melted chocolate for dipping and/or a delectable haut-chocolat pairing.
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups pine nuts
- 7 oz almond paste
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Optional: Powdered sugar for dusting
- Optional: Melted chocolate for dipping
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Toast pine nuts for 5 minutes
- Pulse ¼ cup of the pine nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Break up the almond paste and add to the processor bit by bit; process until just mixed
- Add the sugar; process until mixture is crumbly
- Add the egg whites, fennel seed and vanilla; process until the dough begins to come together
- Add the flour and salt; process until fully blended and smooth
- Pour the remaining pine nuts into a small bowl. Using a spoon and slightly moistened hands, take about 2 teaspoons of batter and drop into the pine nuts and turn until completely coated. Place in the refrigerator lightly covered with parchment for 2 hours or overnight
- Remove from fridge and shape into hearts
- Reheat the oven to 325 degrees
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 18 minutes, until lightly browned
- Cool on racks
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. Or dip in tempered chocolate
- Pair with truffles from The Bastet or Eternal Love Collection
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7-10 days
Recommended Haut-Chocolat Pairing:
- Bastet – A Sacred Hi Vibe Chocolate Collection
- The Eternal Love Collection
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Collection
Notes:
Fennel seeds have many uses. In India, they are often used after dinner for digestion or simply chewed to freshen breath. You can crush them and steep them in water to make a tea. You can toast them and add them to rubs and marinades to give a dish a hint of their sweet, licorice flavor. Here we are focusing on their history as an aphrodisiac where it has been used as a libido booster for women and has been used throughout the ages as an important ingredient in love potions.
