Almond Cookies
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Chocolate Mousse
6 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 egg yolks
Garnish
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Almond Cookies
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheets with cooking spray. Stir together flour, sugar and salt. Whisk together all remaining ingredients except for almonds. Add to flour mixture, whisking till smooth. For each cookie, spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons batter onto prepared sheet. Spread batter into 6 inch cross then spread evenly to 6 inch circle, eliminating any holes. Make only 2 cookies per sheet, placing at least 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each cookie with 1/8 of the sliced almonds. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 6-8 minutes till tops are dry and light brown with golden brown edges. Immediately remove 1 cookie at a time from sheet with spatula. Place cookies in 6 ounce custard cups. Place second custard cup over cookies to form cup shape. Do not force second cup down. Let gravity slowly pull it down. With top cup in place, shape ruffled edge of tulip cup. This molding process should not take longer than a few seconds. After a minute or two when cookies are cool and crisp, remove from molds, set on rack to cool completely. If cookies stick or cool before you have time to lift them off the baking sheet, return pan to oven for a minute or two to warm them till they are flexible. Repeat with remaining batter, regreasing pan between batches. Make sure pan is cooled before reusing.
Chocolate Mousse
Melt chocolate. In small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together 1/2 cup cream, corn syrup and yolks. Cook, whisking constantly, 5-6 minutes till mixture is thick, coats the back of spoon and reaches 160°F. Do not overcook. Strain yolk mixture into chocolate. Immediately whisk briskly, making chocolate shiny and satin-smooth. Cool to 80-85°F. Beat remaining cream on medium-high speed till soft peaks form. Fold cooled chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. To serve, place tulip cups on plates. Fill each with mousse and top with toasted sliced almonds.
Tips
Cookies can be made 3-4 days ahead in cool, dry weather and stored in airtight container. In humid weather, cups may begin to flatten and lose their shape. Position each cookie in cup of a muffin pan, easing it down into the cup shape. Warm in 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes. Cool cups completely before removing from pan. Fill and serve immediately.