Almond shells, or “mandelmusslor” are  classic, Swedish tart-like cookies often served around the holidays.. They range in size, shape, and number of ingredients, but here I’ve condensed a recipe to make them with only five main ingredients (and some optional—yet strongly recommended—toppings). They’re traditionally baked in scalloped-shaped baking tins, but to make them more accessible this recipe uses a standard cupcake tin.

Make these almond shells in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Alternatively, freeze for up to two months.  

Even though this is supposed to be a true 5 ingredient recipe, it wouldn’t hurt if you added 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract for extra flavor.

To make sugared cranberries, heat ½ cup water with ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup into a bowl with 1 cup fresh cranberries. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Transfer the cranberries with a slotted spoon to a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet and let dry for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of sugar and toss, separating any that are stuck together. Store them in an airtight container. 

Swedish Almond Tart Cookies  (“Mandelmusslor”)

This sweet potato hummus was inspired by the one on the menu at Miss Ada in Brooklyn, which you can also get at their sister spots Nili and their newly opened bakery, Thea. It's very straightforward and easy; roasted sweet potato are blended with chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice, along with unsuspecting spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cumin. Although the hummus is delicious on its own, my favorite part is the creme fraiche, sliced almonds, and paprika oil on top (the same toppings as Miss Ada's!).
 

Spiced Sweet Potato Hummus 

A traditional French financier is a small, rectangular almond cake that originally got its name from its resemblance to a bar of gold, and because it was often served in Parisian cafes in the French capital’s financial district. This version is baked in a tart pan and topped with sliced pears and almonds but retains all the characteristics of a classic financier. It’s primarily made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and a small amount of regular flour. Since it requires very little mixing, it takes almost no active cooking time. The flavors are reminiscent of marzipan, and the texture is tender, light, and buttery—the perfect cake to serve in the afternoon with coffee or tea.

Pear Financier Torte

I've always half-joked that baking terrifies me, so I only share recipes I can nail effortlessly. This clafoutis is one of those—a go-to you can use with any fruit. It's a simple French baked custard, traditionally made with cherries, but any stone fruit or berries work. Think of it as a Dutch baby's cousin. Almond extract and toasted, sliced almonds pair perfectly with the fruit, and fresh tarragon adds a lovely licorice note. Like most of my baking recipes, it's more of a flexible technique than a strict formula—feel free to adapt it!

Stone Fruit Clafoutis

Tarta de Santiago is a strikingly beautiful yet simple almond cake that originated in medieval Galicia, Spain. Named after St. James, the patron saint of Spain, it is traditionally adorned with his cross. Although it’s typically made entirely from almond flour, I took some creative liberties by mixing in equal parts hazelnut flour—don’t tell the Spanish. My first encounter with this dessert was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where many local bakeries uphold Spanish baking traditions. Typically, the cooled cake is dusted with powdered sugar over a stencil of a St James cross. Once you remove the stencil, it reveals the cross shape (you can search for and download an image to use as a stencil). This is not a necessary step, though, and the cake is otherwise straightforward to make, requiring no special equipment other than a tart pan, which imparts beautiful ridged edges. 


Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)

A pistachio loaf–or pistageländ as it's called in Swedish–is a classic mid-day fika treat. Fika, for those unfamiliar, is a Swedish tradition of enjoying coffee and sweet treats around 11 am and 3 pm, usually with others. It’s made with a cardamom-flavored yeasted dough filled with a pistachio and almond paste. The toppings on pistachio loaves vary from cafe to cafe, but most commonly include pearl sugar. You’ll often also see chopped pistachios and slivered almonds.

My inspiration for developing this recipe stemmed from the countless times I've heard my Italian dad, in his thick American-Swedish accent, suggest, 'should we go get a pistageländ?' While I'm not entirely sure if he'll use this recipe to make it himself, at least it’s here if he ever needs it. Or, for the next time I’m home and am in a baking mood (which let's be real, I almost always am). 


Tips:
-If you don’t have peeled almonds, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes and dry them off with a paper towel. You should be able to pop the almonds right out of their peel. 
-To store, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap and place them in a sealable plastic bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
-I prefer to use salted butter but feel free to use unsalted if you want more control of the salt levels. 


Braided Pistachio Loaf (Swedish Pistagelängd)

If there was one cookie I could eat every day, these would be it. They’re light, chewy, buttery, and chocolatey, all without being overly sweet. The cookies are made with ground almonds, egg whites, and confectioners sugar, and are filled with a simple (and very butter-forward) buttercream. To top it off–and to add another layer of texture and flavor–the bottom of each cookie is dipped in dark chocolate. 

As much as I would love to take credit for this recipe, it’s a recipe I received from my grandma many years ago. I used to bake these with her growing up, and it wasn’t until now that I realized just how similar they are to a classic French macaron. The only real difference is the shape and technique (these are much much easier, if you’re wondering). 

Tips & Tricks:
-Use pre-ground almonds or almond flour instead of whole almonds, if preferred. 
-Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for the longest shelf-life. They also taste better when they’re a little cold! 
-Make ahead and freeze for up to 2 months. 

 Swedish Almond Moons (Mandel Månar)

Almond is one of the most loved, classic flavors of kringle; also known as the official state pastry of Wisconsin. It’s a large form of danish—filled, iced, and sliceable. It has a fascinating history that starts in France with the creation of laminated dough in the early 1600s. This technique for folding dough to create light, flaky layers quickly spread to Italy and Austria, where the bakers continued to perfect it. Fast forward to the 1850s, where a huge bakers’ strike begins in Denmark, which brought about two major events. First, an influx of Austrian bakers and their lamination skills flooding to Denmark, and also lots of out of work bakers immigrating to the United States. A few years prior, an all-Danish village was created in Wisconsin, creating one of the highest densities of Danish population in one region of the U.S. 

This is why there are still today lots of Danish bakeries in Wisconsin, and it’s also why this pastry has become so beloved in this area, but so many people outside of the Midwest have even heard of it. While bakers in Wisconsin tweaked and refined the original concept, the pastry has remained beloved for its sliceable, easy to share shape and its long shelf life after baking (it even freezes well). This is a fun, delicious project that’s worth a spot on your “to bake” list. Be sure to check out the Kringle episode of Bake it Up a Notch for more kringle ideas and recipes!

Citrus Almond Kringle

This recipe was created by Emiko Chisholm, pastry chef at Koloman, who came to the Food52 Test Kitchen to show us how she makes this magical confection that has the scent of an almond cake, the crunch of brittle, the chewiness of a great macaroon, and the waves of chocolate that say candy bar. Ingredient Note: You may need to source some 

Marzipan Bars From Koloman

There are so many ways to make a delicious cobbler (not to mention all the other adjacent fruit desserts like crumble, crisp, buckle, pandowdy, and more). To me, a great cobbler is lightly sweetened fruit topped with a tender biscuit topping. But, just like so many of the best baked goods, there are a lot of delicious ways to achieve that end result. Cobbler is beautifully customizable, and 

 impossible to mess up. This recipe features a biscuit “crumble” topping that uses less liquid in the biscuit dough that goes on top, giving it a more streusel-like texture after mixing. This allows you to easily sprinkle it all over the fruit for full coverage, but it then bakes up tender and soft, like biscuits would. Sour cream gives this topping a little tang as well as some lovely richness—a perfect pairing with juicy summer fruit. I like to make this with peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, or even a combination of stone fruits. In season, stone fruits are *very* juicy, and the cobbler may be juicier for it. But that is the true beauty of cobbler: If it’s juicier, just serve it in a bowl—you really can’t mess it up! Either way, add ice cream or whipped cream when you serve it to take it truly over the top. 

 If you’d like to make this with another summer favorite—berries—instead, reduce the total fruit to 3 pounds (about 1.36 kg), and cut the fruit in halves or quarters if they are large.

Stone Fruit Cobbler With Sour Cream Biscuit Topping

This is one of those dishes that is way more than the sum of its parts. Each element is easy to prepare, leaving only last-minute assembly. Tender, baby zucchini nestle into creamy whipped ricotta and are topped with roasted almonds and a drizzle of Calabrian chile oil.

Baby zucchini, about six inches long, work especially well here, but if you can’t find those, use the smallest ones you can find with the firmest texture and the fewest seeds. If you only have larger ones, split them in half lengthwise and grill for as long as it takes to get the flesh softened and juicy and nicely marked by the grill. Cut into smaller pieces for serving.

Calabrian chile paste is increasingly available and has a tingly kind of heat, but you can use sriracha or even a loose harissa sauce instead.

To roast the zucchini in the oven instead, place them cut sides down on a baking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 450˚F.

Grilled Zucchini With Whipped Ricotta, Calabrian Chile & Almonds

If you’re a part of the “Is this a cake or a tart” fan club (me), then you will love this cake. Yes, you’re baking it in a tart pan, but I think the blurred distinction has more to do with the way the outside of this cake gets so crunchy and golden, almost like it’s got a crust, while the inside stays rich, almost gooey. The almond flour keeps it moist, dense, and delightfully nutty while the figs provide jamminess without juiciness (putting that on a T-shirt). Feel free to go off-script with the fruit, as long as it isn’t overly juicy. It’s an already tender cake—excessive moisture will make it tough to bake through.

Almond Cake With Figs

, a column by Food Editor Emily Ziemski where small-but-mighty additions—ingredients, sauces, toppings—that instantly upgrade whatever’s on the table are the star of the show. Today, a savory, nutty addition to the classic romesco sauce.

 A sauce is the ultimate plus one, so to kick off this column I’m giving one of my savory favorites a bit of a twist with a few simple ingredients that add extra layers of complexity and deliciousness. Romesco is a Catalonian sauce that, at its core, is a rough blend of tomatoes, nuts (usually almonds or hazelnuts), garlic, and a pepper or two. Olive oil is typically used to lend silky texture to the sauce while melding seamlessly with the other flavors. Here, I’ve eschewed that and traded the olive oil for the rich nuttiness of a browned butter, which culls the bright and deep acid notes of the roasted tomatoes. The maple syrup works in perfectly sweet tandem with it all—its caramel-like undertones evoke a toasty flavor that complement the browned butter and almonds. Honey would be a nice substitute, but avoid swapping in any granulated sugars as they’d be too bright and forward. A lovely, flaky piece of fish, like cod or halibut, could be a perfect protein to accompany this spread, as would (my personal favorite) a skewer of lamb. When served with charred alliums, it makes a wonderful side dish to a larger-format meal. In this particular recipe, I’m choosing scallions simply because I regularly struggle to work through a full bunch. I’m prone to using half for scallion pancakes and maybe another single stalk for garnish, and then before you know it, it’s been two weeks and I have a sad, wilted half-bunch of scallions in my care, so this is a really tidy way for me to use up my inventory. Plus, they make a great foil to the romesco. With a quick char, the scallions are tenderized and their sharp bite is rendered mellow; the tangy undertones that remain are emboldened by the sauce’s vibrant, earthy flavors. Char is one of my favorite cold-weather flavor profiles—reminiscent of smelling the sweet, permeating smoke of wood fire stoves blooming in the air when the weather drops below 50 degrees. It’s also a reminder that smoke isn’t all about burning, it’s about creating texture and drawing out the deepest notes of a dish. 

 plan to enjoy this savory, smoky plus one, so drop me a line in the comments below.

Brown Butter-Maple Romesco With Charred Scallions

Planning a holiday get together? Good news: a welcome respite from your go-to cheeses and boxed crackers is within reach. Rugelach are hand-held treats perfectly suited to cocktails and conversation. Add quince paste, Marcona almonds, tangy blue cheese, and pears to the mix, and the party has already started. 

If quince paste, also known as membrillo, isn’t a regular guest at your wine and cheese spread, it should be. The deeply flavored Spanish sweet (similar in texture to the French pâte de fruit), is a natural with cheese, typically Manchego, a mild/nutty sheep’s milk cheese. But a visit to Global Cheese in Toronto’s Kensington Market broadened my membrillo pairing-induced tunnel vision. Accepting a sliver of blue cheese atop a cube of quince paste from a cheesemonger in a crisp white jacket, I wondered aloud, “not Manchego?” The creamy saltiness of the blue cheese paired with the sweet quince was a game changer. All that was missing was a glass of wine. 

Hand rolling rugelach is truly a labor of love, but the whole wheat pastry can be prepared up to two days in advance, or wrapped and frozen up to four weeks ahead of your event. Poaching the pears is less fiddly than rumored, yielding blush red fruit and a flavorful reduction. Bosc pears are well suited to the task; firm enough to hold their shape without turning into mushy sauce. Though you might be tempted to overfill the rugelach, less is more in keeping the crescents snug. 

Another rule to follow with rugelach is chilling. The filled rugelach must rest in the fridge for a minimum of an hour before baking; it’s non-negotiable. And after all of your efforts, protect the rugelach bottoms from getting too dark by double panning your baking sheets and rotating them halfway through the bake time. Enjoy the reserved pears on their own or embellish a fruit platter with thick slices of the rosy fruit. Then pour yourself a glass of your favorite red, reach for a rugelach, and ready yourself for some flavorful conversation.


Rugelach With Membrillo, Almonds & Blue Cheese

Almond Tofu, sometimes called Almond Junket or Annin Tofu, is a Chinese dessert that made waves in America on the menu at the Mandarin, Cecilia Chiang’s revolutionary Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant, which opened in 1962, was the first to serve upscale, Northern Chinese cooking that proved to the likes of James Beard, Julia Child, and Alice Waters that Chinese food was hardly monolithic. Cecilia Chiang was—in my opinion—the most important Chinese chef in American history. She was a mentor of mine and would often call me out of the blue with recipe ideas, like this one. Originally, the dessert would have been more jelly-like, set with agar and served with canned fruits, but like with many of my recipes I’ve developed a version that pushes me to never lose my edge by innovating—much like the new Lexus RX. It’s a modern composed dessert that features a pudding made with floral Chinese almonds, poached apricots, and black sesame and almond sauces poured over the top. 

Almond Tofu With Poached Apricots & Black Sesame

This golden- brown tart is nutty and not too sweet, and it’s simple to make. This dough is buttery and enriched with egg yolks; it makes a tender and flavorful crostata shell. We give instructions for making the dough in the food processor because it’s the quickest and most fail- proof method. Of course, making pastry without a machine is enjoyable, so if you are nimble with your fingers, go ahead—the steps are the basically the same. Chill the dough well and work quickly while rolling it. Don’t worry about perfection; we do lots of patching in the pan, pressing any broken pieces back together. From 

Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant

 by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, with Anna Kovel. Copyright © 2022 by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Via Carota's Crostata di Mandorle 

This classic cake combo is one of two sheet cakes I made inspired by my parents. They would call this “wedding cake”—aka a light and fluffy white cake with a hint of almond extract to add that little bit of bonus creaminess. If you’re not a fan of almond, you can just double up on the vanilla instead. This cake is simple at its core, but it’s also easy to dress it up. Check out the episode of 

 where I make this cake—I use piping tips to create a decorative border, and even add 

White Sheet Cake

Cherry Bakewell Skillet Cookie From Crystelle Pereira

This famous cake dessert recipe is made and enjoyed throughout France in January to celebrate the Epiphany. Bakers work hard to create thousands of this iconic dessert, as it symbolizes the three kings who visited baby Jesus. You'll find a ton of varieties of this recipe, one as delicious as the next. Bakeries will also hand out a paper crown with each cake as part of the tradition.  

Hence, as a crucial part of this special dessert, a fève (fava bean) is tucked into the cream so the lucky person that selects the slice with the bean hidden inside is awarded the crown and comes the king or queen of the day. I like to use a whole almond because, instead of throwing it out, it’s quite tasty to eat!

Crisp puff pastry rounds are used to encase a flavorful frangipane cream with a thin apricot jam spread on the underlayer. This delicate dessert is easy to make with a multipurpose frangipane that can be made days in advance and used in so many delicious desserts. Keep a jar of it in your fridge so you can turn to it whenever you need it. This beautiful cake is easy to make and a fun, festive way to ring in January.

Galette Des Rois

Two-ingredient pancakes, which just happen to have no gluten, are one of the Internet’s favorite things. Maybe you’ve made them yourself, with just banana and egg. Or perhaps you’ve stumbled upon the three-ingredient upgrade, with banana, egg, and cinnamon. This Big Little Recipe is from the same family—but it goes rogue, ditching the cinnamon and swapping in something more substantial: almond flour. This nutty ingredient solves all the problems that minimalist pancakes usually run into: too banana-y, too eggy, too soggy, too mushy. As in French macarons, almond flour in this case acts like 

-flour. Not only does it offer up fluffy-bouncy texture, but it balances the banana's and egg’s strong flavors. (If you have extra almond flour in your pantry after this recipe, keep it in the freezer if you can; this preserves its freshness for longer.) The best part is that all of this happens in one bowl with—wait for it—a fork. Which means, sure, you could save it for a sleepy Saturday brunch. Or you could get up a few minutes earlier and make a weekday morning that much better. You could keep these classic with salty butter and warm maple syrup. Or try a shake of confectioners’ sugar with a squish of lemon juice. Or fresh berries and honey. Or tahini and pomegranate molasses. This recipe serves one to two people, depending on whether you’re serving anything alongside, like eggs, bacon, or fruit salad. It also can be easily doubled or tripled as needed.

3-Ingredient Pancakes

This rice pudding is creamy and deliciously sweet, with the special touch of Coronado Dulce De Leche—known as cajeta, this caramelly sauce is made with goat’s milk for extra richness and complexity. It’s the perfect dessert for the holiday season, enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The smooth, creamy texture makes this simple recipe feel extra-luxurious, which is enhanced by the slight crunch of the chopped almonds. You can serve this rice pudding hot or cold—both ways are equally delicious! If you plan on serving it cold, let the rice pudding cool to room temperature then place it covered in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Top your rice pudding with chopped almonds or some whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for the just-right finishing touch. 

Dulce de Leche Rice Pudding From Vanessa Mota

This gets my vote for entry into the pantheon of great frozen desserts. There are layers of chunky meringue and layers of parfait, a mixture of beaten egg whites, yolks and whipped cream, lithe, luscious and, when frozen, reminiscent of the richest ice cream you’ve ever had. The cake is built in a soufflé dish or springform and stowed in the freezer until it’s ready for its star turn. Then, just before serving—or at the table, if you want to share the drama—you pour on warm caramel sauce, allowing it to cover the top and slip over the edges before you finish the cake with a flourish of toasted almonds. It’s stunning, but not fussy to make. This recipe was given to me by my Parisian friend Thibault Lafarie, who told me it had been a favorite in his family for generations—one spoonful, and I understood why. 

Parfait-Layered Vacherin

Gulab jamun is a sticky-sweet fried dessert made from cooked-down cows’ milk and suspended in a saffron-infused sugar syrup. It’s commonly enjoyed when celebrating special occasions in India (especially for Diwali), Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and all over the world by communities of people with Persian and South-Asian heritage, including in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. In 

The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin

 by Michael Krondl, he reports that the traditional Indian dessert actually has Persian roots. “A thousand years ago, when Persian-speaking invaders rode into the subcontinent, they made sure to pack not only the Koran but also recipes for all sorts of delicious pastries. This is how Pakistanis and Indians learned to make the candy-like tangles of fried dough called jalebi (a corruption of the word zulbia). The Muslim invaders also brought a round fritter that eventually became gulab jamun… The recipe [from India] is more complex than in the Middle East, requiring a mixture of dried and fresh milk thickened with flour. But as in Iran, the mixture is fried and soaked in rosewater syrup.” If you want to know where the name comes from, 

," which says: "The world ‘gulab’ was derived from the Persian word ‘gol’ and ‘ab,’ which respectively meant flower and water, which referred to rose water scented syrup. The other word 'jamun' is the Hindi-Urdu word for the popular Indian fruit Black Plum, which is almost of same shape and size. So, this is how your loving dessert got its name.” This gulab jamun recipe was inspired by watching videos from YouTube creators 

 by Brinder Narula, Vijendra Singh, Sanjay Mulkani, and Thomas John, which I referenced when creating my own recipe. I also reached out to my friend Nabila for her thoughts on the dessert; she said it's usually too sweet for her tastes, and she helped me talk through ideas of how to change the flavor profile and to potentially bring in citrus or a woodsy herb into the syrup. That gave me the push I needed to add the optional but recommended lemon juice and lemon zest to the recipe and include salt to act as a counterpoint to the sweetness. This traditional dessert is a love letter to milk, and the recipe is not only exciting because it’s essentially a doughnut, but because it involves transforming a simple ingredient—milk—into a completely different ingredient: khoya, or mawa, a sweet milk dough. As the milk cooks down, the water evaporates. This reduction, in conjunction with the clumping of the milk solids (and much stirring), allows it to become a thick sweet porridge-texture. With a touch more time on the heat, it further morphs into a soft, fudgy consistency with a comforting taste and a natural sweetness. I found that making khoya connects me to food memories made by my grandmother-boiled milk just has this unique smell and taste that brings me back to her. While most recipes I researched for gulab jamun are made with store-bought khoya or are a variation made with milk powder, this recipe speeds up a technique that’s usually very time-consuming. If you are willing to give a little extra attention and care to a hot pot of milk for 25 to 35 minutes to prepare fresh khoya, it’ll be worth it!

Paneer Gulab Jamun

Amaretti are a cookie that people seem slightly afraid to make. Just because they are often found for sale in beautiful tins with crunchy cellophane and fancy bows doesn’t mean they are difficult or tricky to create at home. In fact, homemade amaretti are the best, like these ones, which are soft and delicious and almondy, with a subtle hint of raspberry all the way through and a hidden raspberry in the center. These too can be given as a gift. Just remind your recipients that the cookies should be eaten straightaway because of the fresh fruit. If you want these to last longer, you can use freeze-dried raspberries instead of fresh. Reprinted from 

New

Best Sellers

Holiday

Exclusively at Food52

Featured Makers

Schoolhouse

Gifts

Kitchen
Kitchen Utensils & Tools
Kitchen Storage & Organization
Kitchen Linens
Cutting Boards & Knives
Coffee, Tea, & Pantry

Cookware
Skillets & Saute Pans
Baking & Roasting Pans
Dutch Ovens & Stock Pots
Cookware Sets

Tabletop
Dinnerware
Glassware
Table Linens
Flatware & Serving Utensils
Serveware
Outdoor Entertaining

Home
Organization & Storage
Cleaning & Laundry
Bath Towels & Accessories
Decor and Art
Textiles
Holiday

Popular
Quick and Easy
5 Ingredients or Fewer
Cocktails
Appetizers

Ingredients
Chicken
Steak
Salmon
Pasta
Potato
Rice

Meals & Dishes
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Salad
Sweet Treats

Lifestyle
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Alcohol-Free Drinks

Tools & Techniques
One Pot
Sheet Pan
No Bake
Grill

Travel

Hosting & Entertainment

Parenting

Pets

Kitchen Sink

Crafts & Hobbies

Community

Recipes

How To & Hacks

Meal Planning

Baking

Trending & Seasonal

Drinks

Community

Hotline

Style & Design

Cleaning & Organizing

Outdoors

Renovation

Home Tours

0 Items in your Cart

Almond