Everyone seems to be baking as we look to bring comfort and joy to our loved ones during this time. Try making these irresistible almond shortbread biscuits “Polverones” that the Jews from medieval Spain adopted for centuries. These buttery biscuits made with toasted almonds are crumbly in texture- like “polvo” in Spanish meaning dust or powder. Fragrant with orange blossom water, they are scrumptious with a slivered pistachio, or almond embedded in each biscuit and generously drenched in icing sugar. When the Sephardim in exile settled in Rhodes Island they continued to make these melt-in-the mouth treats, very similar to Greek Kourabiethes.
I have added an earthy dimension to my original recipe with tahini paste and for that extra crunch toasted sesame seeds. I hope you enjoy this super-easy addictive treat.