We’ve been spending a lot of our time lately clearing out the DVR, watching or erasing a ton of stuff we’ve recorded, and I ran across a really old Melting Pot that we recorded on Cooking Channel. Hosting, were a really green Rocco DiSpirito and Cat Cora – they were so cute! Anyway, the theme of the show was citrus, and the last thing Cat made were these adorable pear-shaped orange-almond cookies, that were – get this – no bake! Okay, they spend a very small amount of time on top of the stove, but that’s it! I thought these would be just perfect for Week 2 of our Twelve Weeks of Holiday (fine, Christmas) Cookies series.

Just don’t ask me to pronounce them.

Orange-Scented Almond Cookies: Amygdalota me Orange
(adapted from a recipe by Cat Cora on Cooking Channel)

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almonds
2-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon orange water
1/4 cup orange juice, plus more, for shaping

Preparation:

Grind the almonds in a food processor until ground fine. Add in 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Put the almond mixture into a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add in the liquids and warm until sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes a cohesive ball. Put aside to cool.

Once cool, shape tablespoon-sized portions of the mixture into 1 1/2-inch-high pear shapes, wetting your fingers with the juice. Dredge each cookie in confectioners or granulated sugar to coat.

Wrap individually in cellophane or place in a box with a lid. Let stand for at least 3 days before serving.

Notes:

If you like marzipan, you’ll love this cookie, and if it weren’t for the 3 day drying period, this would be the fastest cookie, ever. The big advantage is that you don’t have to heat up the oven at all!