Murcian Cordiales

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. 2
   Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and unwanted stringy flesh. The seeds can either be discarded or saved and roasted. Place the squash halves cut-side-down in a baking dish, adding a little bit of water to aid in steaming the squash. Roast the squash for 30-50 minutes, checking for doneness by sticking a sharp knife into the flesh. If the squash pierces effortlessly, then it is done. Note: You will only use one half of the squash. Save the other half to use as a great substitute for pasta. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and reheats well.
3. 3
   Remove the baking dish from the oven, and allow the squash to cool for a bit. As the squash is cooling, add the sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil, allowing the mixture to cook down until thickened.
4. 4
   While the simple syrup reduces, use a fork to shred the flesh of one half of the squash into threads that resemble spaghetti. Once the syrup is thick, add the squash strands and continue to cook, stirring occasionally and very gently, until the mixture is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. 5
   Set the candied squash aside to cool.
6. 6
   Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silpat mat, or the oblea wafer paper (if using).
7. 7
   In a large bowl, with your hands, combine the almond meal, lemon zest, sugar, and cinnamon, mixing well.
8. 8
   Add the eggs and mix until the dough comes together.
9. 9
   Add the squash and gently distribute throughout the dough, separating any clumps but being careful not to break down the squash strands too much.
10. 10
    Form the dough into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball and place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. The dough will not spread much as the cookies bake, but they should have some space between them. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Once cool enough to touch, move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. If you baked the cookies on wafer paper, you will need to break the wafer apart around the individual cookies once cooled.
11. 11
    The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.