FREGOLOTTA, ITALIAN CRUMB COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Place the almonds, cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse together just until most of the almonds are finely chopped while leaving some coarsely chopped.
• Add the cold butter and pulse for a few seconds until combined.
• In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts and almond milk.
• Drizzle the egg yolk mixture over the almond and flour mixture.
• Pulse together just until the mixture has moistened and formed crumbs. (a few seconds)
• The mixture should look crumbly and moist, much like a crisp topping.
• Divide the mixture in half.
• Drop half the mixture by the teaspoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheet and press the mixture lightly down to create a thin 8 inch round circle.
• Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and the cranberries over the first layer.
• Repeat with the remaining mixture, drooping the crumbs by the teaspoonful over the chocolate chips and cranberries, distributing them evenly.
• Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 25 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
• Remove from oven and let the cookie rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes so that the cookie firms up.
• When easy to handle, transfer the cookie to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
• Once cooled, sift the icing sugar over the fregolotta.
• When ready to serve place a few whole almonds underneath the middle of the cookie and smack the fregolotta in the center with the back of a wooden spoon.
• The cookie will crumble in several pieces and will then be ready to be devoured.