When Donatella opened Ama, the restaurant that was her love letter to her family’s native Puglia, she wanted to offer the favorite cookies of her childhood – traditional almond cookies. Trying to replicate the deliciously chewy, rustic treat was another thing altogether. The first attempt had Donatella adding salt instead of sugar. Subsequent tries had Donatella mixing the sugar and eggs together first, which melted the sugar. It was only after talking her Aunt Donata (her namesake) into showing her the exact recipe which turned things around. But even then, culinary “translation problems” abounded – Zia Donata didn’t specify exact measurements. Instead of “two tablespoons of olive oil,” it was “una croce di olio,” or “a cross of oil.”

And the recipe for this little cookie is actually quite labor intensive. For example, some of the almonds can be ground by machine, but most have to be hand crushed into larger irregular pieces, to retain the right texture. Fortunately Donatella has, according to her aunts, “mani caldi,” or “warm hands.”

In Italian culinary culture, women are divided into the Cooks and the Bakers. There is rarely crossover, and women take their role and specialty seriously. Donatella’s mother, and her grandmother, are Cooks. Donatella’s aunt, Zia Donata, and her great aunt, Zia Rosinella, are Bakers. When it was discovered that Donatella was crossing family culinary lines, it was a shock, but they are getting over it now that these delicious almond cookies have been created.

While the rough cut, artisanal creations look like they would be crunchy and brittle, one bite reveals a moist and chewy center, somewhat like baklava. Made with almonds, sugar, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil and clove (with no flour), these rustic biscuits have a delicate balance. Not too sweet, and with just the right texture, they are curiously addictive. Even avowed “non-sweets” people find themselves mysteriously devouring a whole tin.

After they were put on the dessert menu at Ama, the cookies won over such a devoted following that Donatella was forced to share the love. Donatella made canisters of the dozen handmade biscotti for customers, their spouses, girlfriends, for their family and co-workers alike. Now she’s back in the kitchen getting her hands dirty for us all. The canisters emblazoned with the “Made With Love” logo will contain individually wrapped cookies for extended freshness, and will retail for $15. Because they are preservative free, the cookies are best for two weeks after purchase, when they are fresh and chewy. For the next two weeks, the cookies don’t become stale but rather become more of a traditional biscotti (this is when Donatella personally likes them best) and as such, are delicious with coffee.