505047 Tue Apr 01 17:04:04 -0700 2008 12 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 3551074 A childhood memory... a woman from Friuli took care of me during the day, when I was a young child. She made the best Italian lemon cookies I have ever tasted. By complete serendipity I ran across a very similar recipe today, and have resolved to make it. The problem is that it calls for ammonium bicarbonate. I've taken the occasional look over the years, but have never seen it in Italian shops. As I recall, though being then only 4 or 5 years old at the time, the jar in which it came had a label that was a brown background with pale yellow script, and the brand might have been something like "Limonia". I don't need that specific brand (though that would be magic!), but I need to know... where to get ammonium bicarbonate? Tue Apr 01 17:04:04 -0700 2008 91415 hungry_pangolin 1 3551503 Don't know about the ammonium bicarbonate but the cookies at Tre Mari on St Clair West are delicious. Maybe they can direct you to your missing ingredient while you purchase a few hundred grams of heavenly nibbles. Tue Apr 01 19:17:20 -0700 2008 3551074 42449 mrbozo 1 3551816 You can replace it with baking soda. Use 1.25 tsp of baking soda for every tsp of ammonium bicarbonate. It's better anyway as I think the the latter may be mildly toxic. It's not an ingredient used very much in modern recipes. Tue Apr 01 21:31:32 -0700 2008 3551074 179628 toveggiegirl 1 3552694 Ammonium bicarbonate is called nowadays baking soda. It is a leavening agent that reacts in presence of acidic ingredients. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_bicarbonate Wed Apr 02 08:08:24 -0700 2008 3551074 121815 lamaranthe 2 3552893 Actually, no, baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, not ammonium (cranky anal-retentive chemist here). But yes, both would serve the same purpose chemically, and I can't imagine that there's an appreciable difference taste-wise, so I see no reason not to use baking soda instead. Wed Apr 02 09:05:16 -0700 2008 3552694 139230 Wahooty 3 3553154 Exactly. Wed Apr 02 10:03:11 -0700 2008 3552893 179628 toveggiegirl 1 3555301 I just saw ammonium bicarbonate at the Highland Farms on Ellesmere/Kennedy - they're in little packets in front of their takeout cafeteria/bread aisle! I actually thought of buying it but thought hmm, isn't it just baking soda? then dropped it. thanks to the chemist's explanation, I think I'll pick some up next time I"m there... Wed Apr 02 18:42:58 -0700 2008 3551074 19661 berbere 1 3556184 I know that I can use baking soda, but I was curious about making two different batches, to compare the flavour. As I recall, the ammonium bicarbonate had a slightly sharp scent, and I was wondering whether that might accentuate the lemon flavour of the cookie. Thu Apr 03 05:09:15 -0700 2008 3551074 91415 hungry_pangolin 2 3556953 I'm pretty certain that Sun Valley and Masselli's on the Danforth both carry it. Thu Apr 03 08:45:53 -0700 2008 3556184 100701 millygirl 2 3558058 Well, it sounds like there are sources. Please do report back - you've made me very curious as to whether that touch of ammonia will make any appreciable difference. :) Thu Apr 03 12:38:52 -0700 2008 3556184 139230 Wahooty 1 3558047 It's not really the same as baking soda. Ammonium bicarbonate smells kinda bad and its leavening property is definitely different. Cookies leavened with ammonium bicarbonate may have a crackle appearence like Chinese almond cookies. I believe Aurora (the brand) makes it in a tiny round jar with a white lid and I've seen it sold at Loblaws (Bayview & Hwy 7 location) in the baking section. Thu Apr 03 12:36:25 -0700 2008 3551074 23566 ComeUndone 1 3739888 I just purchased a small [30g] jar at the Great Canadian Superstore. I thought it was for the lemonia cookies I too remember but so far haven't seen a recipe. Only info so far is can be substitued for equally for baking powder. Not sure where the b. soda ideas are coming from. Sun Jun 01 16:41:20 -0700 2008 3551074 197083 janekus 1 3780171 We've split the recipe discussion and moved it to the Home Cooking board. You can find it here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/529013 Sat Jun 14 09:02:30 -0700 2008 3551074 2 The Chowhound Team