Caramelized Almond Wafers
- 1/2 pound whole unblanched almonds
- Rice paper wafer sheets (from candy-and-cake-decorating supply stores; see Sources, page 340)
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- A heavy skillet or saute pan, 12-inch diameter
- Spread the almonds on a sheet pan, and toast them in a 300 oven for 15 minutes, or until they are light gold and fragrant.
- Cut sixty wafers from the rice paper with sharp scissors.
- For square cookies, fold the sheet over at about 2-inch intervals, cut along the folds to make strips, and cut the strips into squares.
- For round wafers, cut 2-inch circles from each strip.
- Pour the honey and the sugar into the skillet, and set over medium heat.
- Stir in the cinnamon as the honey melts, and continue stirring as the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble.
- Cook at a moderate boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture has caramelized to a deep golden brown and thickened noticeably.
- Stir in the almonds, heat to bubbling again, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the nuts are hot and thoroughly coated with the caramelized honey.
- Dont let the syrup or almonds get too dark.
- Turn off the heat, but leave the filling in the pan.
- Lay out twelve wafers in a line on a cool counter, scoop up some of the hot honey and almonds with a wooden spoon, and drop a small mound on six of the wafersa rounded teaspoon or more.
- While the honey is still soft, top each with a second wafer.
- With a flat board, press down lightly on all at once, flattening and spreading the nut filling.
- Fill all the wafer sandwiches this way.
- Whenever the caramel gets too thick to drop, return the pan to low heat and warm the honey until it loosens.
- When the filled wafers are completely cool and the filling is crunchy, enjoy.
- Store in an airtight container for a week or so.
unblanched almonds, paper, honey, sugar, cinnamon, heavy skillet
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/caramelized-almond-wafers-384373 (may not work)