Today is Mary Jo's birthday, and I've crossed my fingers to hope that she'll like these cookies. If not, I've played it a little safe and have dried fruit/nut friendship bars, ready to go as an alternative.

Instead of working with a recipe as a base and modifying it, I decided to go back to step 1, assess what spices, dried fruits, and flours I have in the pantry and see what happens.  I enjoy figs, have been baking with amaranth powder frequently, and like the taste of anise. Figs and anise are a common combination.  I had moist almond meal readily available, but it was left over from a successful first attempt at making my own almond milk. That's not something I have ready to use on a frequent basis, but a good way to use the leftover meal.

These are soft on the inside, dotted with figs, anise flavors, rolled in granulated sugar. Just sweet enough to eat another! If you try them, let me know!

Amaranth Fig Cookies with Anise

1 cup moist almond meal/flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground anise seed
a sprinkling of whole anise seed

10-12 black mission figs, chopped finely
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

6 tablespoons softened butter
2/3 cup demerera raw sugar
3 drops of amaretto flavoring

Granulated sugar, for coating.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flours, baking soda, baking powder,  salt and spices together in a large bowl. Add the finely chopped figs to the flour and spices. In a separate small bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer. Make a small well in the batter and pour the creamed butter mixture into the dry batter. Knead, making sure all the flour has been absorbed. Roll batter into small 1" balls and coat in granulated sugar.

Place balls onto cookie sheet and gently flatten with a spoon or bottom of a small jar. Bake, rotating if necessary, 15 mins.

Yield: 3 dozen, 36 small, 1" round cookies.