(I got this recipe from my friend Anja and I think she got it from chefkoch.de. See also the post cantuccini - the story for more cantuccini information.)

175g almonds
250g flour
180g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 pkts vanilla sugar (1 tsp vanilla essence)
4 drops of almond extract
1 pinch salt
25g butter, at room temperature
2 eggs

METHOD:

1. If you are using almonds that still have their brown skin on, pour boiling water over them, them put them in a sieve and run them under cold water and remove the skins. Put them onto a cloth and leave to dry overnight.

2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar (if using) almond extract and salt onto the work surface and mix. Make a well in the center and add the butter and egg and vanilla essence (if using). Mix all the ingredients to form a dough – don’t panic, it is a sticky dough. Add the nuts. Add enough flour to form a ball and then leave for 30 minutes in the fridge or a somewhere cold.

3. Heat the oven to 200C. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 25cm long roll. Put baking paper onto a baking sheet and put the rolls onto the sheet about 8cm apart.

4. Bake for 15 minutes at 200C, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Slice diagonally into 1cm thick slices. Place the slices with a cut side down onto the sheet and bake for a further 10 minutes at 200C. The cantuchinis should be lightly browned.

5. Once they are cool, store in an airtight container to avoid them going soft.