Makes approximately 24 balls
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup creme de menthe
3 tablespoons creme de cacao
two 8-ounce packages chocolate-wafer cookies, crushed
1/2 cup ground almonds
24 slivered almonds, for garnish
In a medium bowl, stir together corn syrup, creme de menthe and creme de cacao. Add wafer crumbs, stirring until all ingredients are combined and moistened. With hands, knead mixture until well mixed.
Form into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in ground almonds. Press 1 slivered almond into top of each. Store in tightly covered container for at least 1 week, to blend flavor.
Tester Reiley's comments: "I chose the recipe because it most closely resembled the request, except for the fact that this recipe uses chocolate wafers and the requester remembered a recipe using crushed vanilla wafers.
"By all means, this recipe could substitute vanilla wafers, but the intense chocolaty, minty flavor of these chocolate-wafer balls is hard to beat. These seem especially appropriate as festive holiday cookies, and they have the added bonus of keeping very well in an airtight tin. The balls are moist, with nice texture lent to them by the ground almonds and a delicious chocolate-mint smell."
Serves 1
1/2 cup natural yogurt
1 banana, sliced
2 teaspoons brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon honey
Put ingredients in blender; whiz to a creamy froth.
Serves 1
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lime
1 banana, peeled
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup natural yogurt
2 heaping teaspoons wheat germ
Put all the ingredients in a blender (including any citrus-fruit pith saved from the juicer). Blend together well.
Makes two 1-pound loaves
4 3/4 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more if needed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
3 1/4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg, slightly beaten, at room temperature
3 1/4 tablespoons butter, margarine or shortening, melted or at room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon to 1 3/4 cups water, at room temperature
spray oil
1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water until frothy, for egg wash (optional)
sesame or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)
vegetable oil for seasoning (optional)
Mix 4 3/4 cups flour, salt, powdered milk, sugar and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Pour in egg, butter and 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water and mix with a large metal spoon (or on low speed of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment) until flour is absorbed and dough forms a ball. If dough seems very stiff and dry, trickle in water until dough is soft and supple.
Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), adding more flour, if necessary, to create a dough that is soft, supple and tacky but not sticky. Continue kneading (or mixing) for 6 to 8 minutes. (In the electric mixer, the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick ever so slightly to the bottom.)
The dough should pass the "windowpane test" -- that is, it should stretch and hold together to the point where it is paper-thin and translucent. It should register 80 degrees. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size (time will depend on room temperature).
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich loaves. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.
Lightly oil two 8 1/2 -inch by 4 1/2 -inch loaf pans and place loaves in pans. Mist tops of dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let dough stand at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the loaves with the egg wash, if desired, and garnish with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired, or score loaves down the middle and rub a little vegetable oil into the slit.
Bake the loaves for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking, if needed. The tops should be golden-brown and the sides, when removed from the pan, should also be golden. The internal temperature should be close to 190 degrees, and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
--Adapted from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice"