Ingredients
Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.
Method
Warm the butter (125 g9 tbsp), brown sugar (125 g⅝ cup) and dark syrup (125 g⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) in a pot until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Don't let it boil.
Cool until just warm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes; heat drives off the ammonia early. Dissolve the baker's ammonia (1 tsp) in the water (15 g1 tbsp).
Stir in the spices, zest, chopped almonds (50 g⅓ cup) and Candied Orange Peel, then the dissolved ammonia.
Mix in the flour (250 g2 cups) and knead briefly into a smooth dough.
Shape into logs about 1½ inches (4 cm) across. Wrap and refrigerate at least overnight; a few days is better.
Heat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Slice the logs 2 to 3 mm thin and press an almond half onto each slice.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes, until slightly darker at the edges. The ammonia smell while they bake is normal.
Cool completely on a rack. Stored airtight, they keep for weeks.
Notes
- Extra-thin rolled version. Chop the almonds and peel almost to a coarse meal, or leave them out and top with slivered almonds. Roll the chilled dough between parchment to 1.5 to 2 mm, letting it sit 5 minutes if it cracks. Chill the sheet 10 minutes, cut shapes and bake 4 to 6 minutes, until evenly deep brown; pale centers stay chewy. Store away from soft cookies.
- Still smells of ammonia after cooling means the cookie was too thick or underbaked. Bake the rest thinner or a minute longer.
- Baker's ammonia loses strength in air, so keep the jar tightly sealed. Potash (1½ tsp) is the other traditional leavener, for a denser snap and more browning. Without either, about 1 tsp baking soda works, for a slightly less crisp cookie.