Alumna's Recipe Is Award-Winning

Better Homes and Gardens magazine selected Cynthia (Patronski '98) Lustig's almond butter blossoms as the second place winner in its monthly recipe contest last December. The category was "Santa-pleasing cookies," and entrants were encouraged to submit a basic, beloved cookie recipe, but give it a twist. The assignment was perfect for Lustig, since she loves to experiment with dishes—"see what's in the 'fridge and throw it all together," is how she describes her cooking style—admitting that she rarely follows a recipe, even if she has one. Her husband, Matt '01, usually enjoys her "experiments," but bemoans the fact that—since she rarely measures or writes things down—the dish almost never comes out the same way twice.

This time, though, Lustig took a more clinical approach. She was reminded of stories told by Professor Irmgard Howard of how to use chemistry in real life, she says, so she researched and experimented with the ingredients and cooking times. (Lustig can tell you the chemical differences among several types of baking powder, and that the whole wheat flour adds a "nutty" texture to the cookies.)

Still, cooking is more of an art than a science, and, when Lustig was done her husband sampled the cookies and declared them "OK." Somewhat daunted by such faint praise, Lustig went out. When she returned, there was not a cookie to be found. While she was gone, Matt had discovered that after the cookies cool completely their taste improves from "OK" to "award-winning."

Lustig's awards included a framed certificate from the magazine, $200 in cash and having her recipe printed in the December 2006 issue. The Lustigs used the prize money to go on a "Weekend to Remember" sponsored by FamilyLife.

Almond Butter Blossoms

½ cup butter, softened *
½ cup almond butter **
½ cup white granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt^§
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds
48 to 60 Hershey milk chocolate kisses with almonds

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and almond butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in whole wheat flour and as much of the all-purpose flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

2. In a shallow dish, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and the ground almonds. Shape the dough into 1" balls and roll them in the sugar mixture to coat. Place them 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes (until the sugar mixture just begins to crack).^§§ Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 48 to 60 cookies.

* Substitutes do not work well.
** Available at health food stores.
^§ To reduce salt and accentuate almond flavor, substitute 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract for the salt.
^§§ The ideal length of time to bake these cookies, taking into account oven temperature variance, is best determined by when the sugar mixture begins to crack. They taste the best when completely cooled so that the chocolate kiss firms back up.