Tejas (Almond ¨roof tiles¨) and discovering Toledo

I should begin this post by saying that Madrid is a nice place. I like it because of the memories I have here, not because I find it especially beautiful. It is so big, with lots of traffic, lots of noise and everybody is in a hurry. I don´t see how it stands out from other places.  I was mentioning this to my mother in law not long ago and she told me to explore places outside of Madrid. So, few weeks ago, my husband, my mother in law and I went to Toledo which is about an hour away from Madrid. I had never been there before but I knew that it was famous for being a medieval city as well as a place where three cultures lived, including the Jews, the Christians and the Arabs. What a history! I only spent and afternoon there but was just astounded by how beautiful the city is.

The medieval wall surrounding the city.

The gorgeous coutnry side around the city.

I wouldn´t mind being that cat.

Ok…my photos don´t do much justice and this post is not about the wonders of Toledo. We stopped by a café that had all kinds of baked goodies.  All the baked goodies were made by nuns in a nearby convent and the purchases helped the convent. I love that! I apologise for the crappy photo but do check out the window of the café!

So cute, I can hardly stand it.

So we had a hot chocolate and I purchased some goodies. I love trying new things and then attempting to make them at home. I bought an almond treat called ¨tejas¨

I discovered that my husband loves them and so do I! So I got busy searching for a récipe. My first question, as yours may also be, was…¨What is a teja?¨   And I learned that a teja is a roof tile. If you look at these treat, they are curved, not flat. If you wonder why these are called roof tiles, the answer is in Toledo itself. Have a look at the shadows these roof tiles.

They are just like these cookies! I love it!  Just beautiful!

So I made my tejas and my husband and I were quite happy! I have to share the recipe with you because these little guys are so yummy.

You certainly do not have to make their little curves. They are beautiful flat too!

Makes about 20

100 g ground almond

50 g chopped almond

25 g unsalted butter (softened)

2 egg whites

25 g flour

125 g icing sugar

pinch of salt

Mix the flour, sugar, ground and chopped almonds and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and egg whites. Mix well and put in the fridge for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 170

Grease a piece of parchment paper  and place it on a baking tray. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the almon mixture. Place one tablespoon at a time. Place 4 tablespoons only and flatten them with a knife.

Place only 4 because they spread out quite a bit. Bake for 10 minutes. Repeat until all the mixture is baked. You will have to use a new piece of parchment paper and grease it each time you bake a new batch.

If you are keen on getting the trademark curve:

While they are still hot, remove them from the parchment paper with the help of a knife. Then place them on a glass like this;

They take on a curve shape easily! Just be sure to but a light coating of butter on the glass to prevent the tejas from sticking to the glass!

And that is it guys! I know that cookies are usually best when they are hot but this is not so with tejas. They are so much better when they are cooled down.

Enjoy! xxxx Natascha