Almond-y Christmas Venetians

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A beautiful cookie that doesn’t taste good isn’t worth its weight in flour. But a cookie that truly is beautiful and also happens to be sublime, really takes the cake. And you may know my position on cake. I’ve hardly met one I didn’t like. And the almond-y base for these Venetians is actually a cake.

Can’t wait to make every year

Technically a Christmas cookie, Venetians get their name from their striped colors matching those of the Italian flag. Although I do sometimes wonder if we couldn’t switch-out the coloring just a bit so we could serve them more than once a year. This would make me happy.

The rich almond flavor, mixed with the apricot and the lightest touch of semisweet chocolate makes these layered delights unbelievably good.

Not the easiest to make, but forgiving

I won’t say they’re the easiest cookie to make, but I will say they’re eminently forgiving. Each time I make these, I get a bit closer to technique-success. But step-by-step perfection or not, somehow these always come out looking beautiful.

The first time I made these, I weighted them too much in the overnight step. They came out too flat, and too dense. I’d used a wooden cutting board and added a plate to the top of that. I thought that would ensure the layers stuck together.

You’ll notice I recommend using a plastic cutting board for this step. One plastic cutting board, nothing else, is plenty of weight.

Skipping a step

Another year I thought it was ridiculous to strain the apricot preserves. Only once I began to spread the preserves across the delicate cake layers did I notice the clumps. I went ahead anyway, only to be faced with a cutting nightmare when I realized those chunks were keeping my straight cuts from being straight.

Another shortcut to avoid

You may find it strange the directions say to spray the pan, then lay the parchment, then spray again. I thought that was silly this past year, and I didn’t spray under the parchment. Mistake.

When I flipped my white and red layers, both broke apart into a number of pieces. (Don’t tell anyone, but the red layer ended up mostly on the floor.)

A Christmas miracle

If a baked good hits the floor and no one’s there to see it, did it really hit the floor?

After two of my layers touched ground, I thought about starting over. But really, don’t they say a few germs are good for bolstering our immune systems?

I continued the layering process, as though nothing had happened.

But my frustration continued as I realized my “layers” were more like pieces. Still determined, I placed the layer-pieces in place, leaving no gaps. I patched and pinched together until the layers resembled a scarred surface that I was sure would show upon cutting.

But I was wrong! Lo and behold, my Christmas miracle was this year’s Venetians kept my secrets. No one could tell what had come before.

So, if I haven’t scared you off with my baking tales, I heartily suggest you give these a try. My guess is yours will come out beautifully! And there is absolutely no denying they are the tastiest cookie on the cookie display!