MINI ALMOND DONUTS

MINI ALMOND DONUTS

Marzipan, almond crumbles, puree of dates, fresh lemon and maple syrup. And how about some Marsala wine, ginger and coriander? Why not when it all tastes so good? Then roll these precious nuggets in ginger powdered sugar too? Yup!

Makes 7 dozen

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

8 oz. pkg. Almond Paste (MARZIPAN)

6 oz. can whole natural almonds or about 1-1/4 c.

1 t. sea salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. vanilla extract

1/4 c. Marsala wine

2 t. powdered ginger

2 t. ground coriander

1/2 c. margarine

10 oz. jar Baker brand Date dessert filling

zest of 1 lemon

3 T. fresh lemon squeeze

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

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Combine almond paste and whole almonds in food processor container. Process till mealy.

Add salt, baking soda, vanilla, wine, ginger, coriander, margarine and Date filling. Process till as creamy as you can get it. A couple minutes. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Add lemon zest and lemon squeeze. Stir in.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring well to completely incorporate.

Transfer to smaller, clean bowl, cover and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to bake: Grease baking sheet. Scoop about 1-1/2 teaspoons for each cookie and roll into smooth ball – about the size of a large marble. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 8-10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

Coating:

Mix 1/3 c. powdered sugar with 1 t. powdered ginger in small paper bag. Place 1/2 of cookies. Close and shake to coat. Pour into large wire mesh strainer over large bowl. Shake strainer to remove excess sugar. Return excess sugar to bag and repeat with remainder of cookies.

Notes: These mini donuts were inspired by Chinese-French desserts traditionally low in sugar.

For individual dessert dishes, serve 5-6 donuts with a side of Grade A maple syrup for dipping – for those with more of a sweet tooth!

Marzipan is almond paste made from almond meal.

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