These cashew peanut treats are a cookie version of the Brazilian candy paçoca, which is made with ground peanuts and manioc starch. They taste like peanut butter cookies, dressed up with roasted cashews and chocolate, and the manioc starch gives them a pleasing crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They are also delicious as a sandwich cookie, filled with pineapple jam, chocolate, or nutella.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups paçoca candy
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4-1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, use the paddle attachment to blend the first four ingredients.
- Add 1/4 cup flour and check consistency. Dough should be stiff enough to form into balls. If dough seems very soft, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until dough seems workable. Fold in chopped cashews.
- Chill dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll pieces of dough into balls, then roll the balls in sugar. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes, until edges brown and centers are just firm to the touch. Cookies will be soft when cool. For a crispier cookie, bake them longer, until the entire cookie is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool cookies on a rack.
- Spread cookies with a filling and sandwich them together, if desired.
- To decorate with chocolate: Melt chocolate chips in microwave by heating them on medium power for 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until chips are melted and smooth. Pour chocolate into ziplock back. Snip off the tip of one corner, and use bag to drizzle chocolate over the cookies.
Makes about 16 2 1/2 inch cookies (or 8 large sandwich cookies).
