TWD: Fifteen Minute Magic: Chocolate Amaretti Torte

I realize I'm a day late on this post, it seems to be consistent with the craziness of my life right now. With a home on the market, three little boys in my care, and an over-scheduled husband, I made a spontaneous trip to Minneapolis to visit my sister-in-law. I had full intentions of making this last week; however, I had a tough time tracking down Dorie's amarettini cookies (it seems that Italian specialty stores are slim in Lincoln, NE).

Anyhow, I found what I thought was a great substitute for the aramettini cookies. I used a delicious cracker cookie that is often called a Swedish or Norwegian cookie. My neighbor gave us a tin of these a few years ago for Christmas and they have become a family favorite with hot chocolate! I usually find them at TJ Maxx, but was thrilled to find them at Super Target. They have a bit of cinnamon in them, which I thought was great in the torte. The cookies were a great texture with my almonds and they smelled delicious! Also, I was able to use my sister-in-law's food processor and it was amazing. Another item to add to my wish list. I thought this torte was a great treat for my wonderful hosts! I know everybody would love to have me and my three boys for a week, but a torte makes them even more excited to have us! Matt, Camie and I all decided the recipe was a keeper! I really liked the texture of the cake and the chocolate glaze finished it off beautifully. We all agreed, however, that we would prefer the whipping cream without the almond extract.
I think this would be a lovely dessert to serve at a luncheon, or just to eat at home. I'm not sure how Dorie made it in 15 minutes (amazing in the kitchen, I know!), but it took me a little longer.

We sat down to eat a slice of this chocolate goodness at 10:30 p.m. after a long day with kiddos and it hit the spot in a big way. I loved the recipe and will definitely make it again! To see the complete recipe check out Holly's blog!