With the holidays approaching, finding inspiration for cookies is not a challenging task. For this week's installment of the 2012 Cookie Challenge, the kitchens of Full Moon Cuisine drew upon an old Tuscan recipe for a cookie that combines the chewiness of caramel with a gentle sweetness. And the best part about these amazing, pleasing treats? Making them is no trouble at all. Here's what you'll need:

- 1 3/4 cup (5 oz) blanched almonds (chopped fine, use a food processor)
- 5 tbsp butter (at room temp)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cream
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup (you can use honey instead if you have it)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- Zest of 1 orange
- Pinch of salt

Note: This recipe will make approximately 18 cookies

To begin, use a food processor to finely chop the almonds, then pour them into a bowl. To the nuts, add the flour, zest, and salt, stirring to combine. Now for a little change in usual cookie preparation. Take a saucepan and add the sugar, butter, cream, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents come to a rolling boil, allowing to boil for about a minute to let the sugar completely dissolve. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute before you add the vanilla (since it's a delicate flavor, if you add it while the mixture boils, you might cook off the taste). Pour the hot mixture into a bowl and add in your nut mixture, stirring to combine, then set the bowl aside for approximately 30 minutes until the dough is cool enough to handle.

As you near the end of the half-hour, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop out dough and roll into a ball using your hands. A teaspoon might not seem like much, however these cookies will spread in the oven, so you don't want a large scoop of dough (unless you want a sheet cake cookie!). The dough will be crumbly, so you will need to keep a seal with your hands and keep rolling/pressing until you feel the dough ball up. Don't worry, it will. Space your dough balls several inches apart on your baking sheet, and then cook for approximately 10 minutes. You will want to remove the cookies when they turn a light, golden brown. Since they spread so thin, they will cook quickly, and will continue to do so on the sheet once removed from the oven. Allow to remain on the sheet for another few minutes, then move the entire sheet of parchment paper to a cooling rack to allow the cookies to finish cooling. Carefully remove the soft, chewy cookies from the paper and serve. If you want, you could even add some melted chocolate...

Each country around the world has its own cookie recipes, with some dating back centuries. Using simple ingredients like almonds and oranges help to keep treats simple and accessible for everyone. And when you serve these flat, bendable, chewy treats to your diners, your diners will definitely come asking for more. To help make sure there are enough of these flat treats to go around, the kitchen will be staying open late tonight. Care to place an order?

Want to know what this challenge is all about? Check out my journal and feel free to send in recipes for cookies! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3096204/