Makes about 5 dozen slices.
Mandelbrot, which means “almond bread” in German, look like biscotti. It is the combination of nuts and long, slow baking that gives these cookies their wonderful crunch. I always have some on hand. This is a revised recipe which first appeared in my cookbook, Helen Nash’s New Kosher Cuisine.
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces skin on hazelnuts
8 ounces skin on almonds
8 ounces dark raisins
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, whisked well
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Line a 9-x 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Chop the hazelnuts coarsely in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and transfer to a large bowl. Chop the almonds and add them to the hazelnuts. Add the raisins, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Combine well using a wooden spoon.
Stir in the eggs and combine thoroughly.
Press the mixture into the pan and flatten the top with your hands until it feels firm.
Place the pan in the middle rack of the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 300 F.
Bake for 1 hour.
Take the mandelbrot out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 200 F. Lift the parchment paper and cool the mandelbrot for a minute.
Place on a board and cut with a serrated knife into 3 equal parts. Cut each part into ¼ inch slices or thinner.
Arrange the slices on a large cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes on each side. The Mandelbrot should be very crisp.
Cool on a wire rack.
NOTE:
Mandelbrot keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container or in a cool place.
