A Weekend In Queen Anne

My uncles' house in Queen Anne is one of the places I consider home. Home has not been something easy to identify these last few years, but their house is definitely a place that I feel at ease and I know it's quirks and details. The last few years it has been a tradition to go over to their house and bake Christmas cookies. But baking Christmas cookies has been a tradition for me with various family members over the years. Besides making the standard sugar cookies, which are fun to decorate but I find to be dull in flavor, we often make three or four different types, and wrap them up as gifts for friends. Whenever I'm at my uncles' house their golden retriever always seems to lay down right in the middle of the kitchen, in the way of everything, but he's too sweet to move. Music softly drifts throughout the house as we bake away. This year, with the help of my grandmother and sister, we made five different types of cookies: orange zest biscotti dipped in white chocolate, date bars, sugar cookies, pignolis, and Almond Roca. The Almond Roca has become a tradition as it is incredibly easy, makes a lot, everyone loves it, and I prefer it to the boxed kind.

                                              

Almond Roca
Ingredients: 

2 sticks butter

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
3 large Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars
2 cups almond halves (or so, enough to cover at 9x13 baking pan)

Mix together all the ingredients except the chocolate and almonds. Pour into pan. Bake at 325° until it begins to brown. It will puff up but fall once done baking. Remove from oven and place chocolate bars on top. Allow to melt and then spread evenly. Sprinkle on almonds and make sure to lightly press into chocolate. Allow to completely cool before cutting. If served as a gift, many grocery stores sell cellophane bags, and often have holiday decorated ones this time of year.