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By Root 777 0

chewy, chocolaty, but not-too-sweet cookies are inspired by traditional strazzate from the Basilicata region of southern Italy. When I first saw a recipe in Saveur magazine, I knew the cookies would be even more alluring with mild spelt flour, so I rushed to create them anew. I didn’t have the traditional herbal liqueur Strega, so I flavored them with Amaretto and added more almonds and chocolate chips for good measure. The next day, I dipped these Americanized strazzate into afternoon coffee with my Roman friend Alessandra on a 90-degree day in Boston—perfetto!

Keep a close eye on these cookies and do not overbake them, if you like them chewy and moist. The overnight chilling makes for a more even cookie, so it’s best to make this easy dough ahead. MAKES ABOUT 36 (2‑INCH) COOKIES

1½ cups whole grain spelt flour (6 ounces)

1½ cups lightly packed almond meal (5¼ ounces)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1½ tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips with 60 percent cocoa content (about ½ cup)

¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted skin-on almonds

½ cup Amaretto liqueur

⅓ cup strong black coffee, at room temperature

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

About 18 whole skin-on almonds, halved lengthwise, or 36 additional chocolate chips

SEE MEASURING WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR

1 Whisk together the spelt flour, almond meal, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Take care to break up any clumps of almond meal or brown sugar with your fingers. Stir in the chocolate chips and almonds. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the Amaretto, coffee, and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients and combine with a dough whisk or wooden spoon just until a soft and moist dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

2 Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a small bowl with water ready.

3 Moisten your hands, pinch off truffle-size pieces (1 slightly heaped tablespoon, or ¾ ounce each) and roll between your palms into smooth 1¼-inch balls. The dough will be quite sticky. Place the balls on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each one. Gently press an almond half or a chocolate chip into the center of each cookie. Chill the sheets with the cookies for 15 minutes.

4 Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies have spread and firmed up but still yield when gently pressed with a finger, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, but leave them on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool comlpetely. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

TO GET A HEAD START: The dough, as in step 1, can be made up to 2 days ahead. Strazzate can be stored, between layers of waxed paper, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They freeze well for at least 1 month.

Honey-Almond Cantuccini

Small almond biscotti are called cantuccini, or “little nooks,” in the Tuscany region of Italy. These are honey-sweetened and delicately flavored with almonds in two forms—a finely ground meal and whole toasted nuts. Watch these twice-baked cookies closely, as you don’t want them to brown too much and lose their fine fragrance. You will need extra almond meal for the work surface. MAKES ABOUT 44 SMALL COOKIES

1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour (7 ounces)

1 cup lightly packed almond meal (3½ ounces)

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup coarsely chopped toasted skin-on whole almonds

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup honey

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1 Whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, almond meal, and salt in a large bowl, and then stir in the almonds. Make a well in the center. In a medium bowl, using a large whisk, thoroughly blend the olive oil, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Add to the center of the