From My Kitchen

As you can see from the bottom of this page, I’ve been making these almond cookies every Easter for literally half of The Teen’s life, and Easter just wouldn’t be Easter without them. They always look like a curious bunch of weirdos, tiny as they are, with their characters really emerging as they bake. Makes 20.

Ingredients

150g ground almonds

3 tbsp milk

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

150g demerara sugar

150g plain flour

0.25tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

75g granulated sugar

Black toasted sesame seeds

Red lentils

Method

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground almonds and milk to form a smooth paste, then beat in the egg and almond extract.
2. Next, beat in the demerara sugar, then sieve in the flour, bicarb and salt and mix well to form a stiff dough.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, and put a small plate on your scales. Find your tweezers and clean them thoroughly (all will become clear!).
4. Now for the sticky bit. Measure out 16g of the dough, roll it into a small ball, and pop it onto the baking tray. Make 20.
5. Press down the top of each ball lightly – these are the bodies of the chicks.
6. Repeat, but this time making 6g balls and pop them on top – these are the chicks heads.
7. Put the granulated sugar in a small bowl, and gently roll the sides and tops of each chick in the sugar, returning them to the baking tray.
8. Turn on your oven to 160C fan.
9. And finally the fiddly bit. Take a small amount of the sesame seeds in your hand, and use the tweezers to gently create eyes on each chick.
10. Repeat, with the lentils, to create a beak and feet. Think of it as baking crossed with craft.
11. Bake for 15 minutes until golden, then laugh at the particularly funny looking ones.