Chewy-crisp and intensely almond-y
Ingredients
10 ounces almond paste
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil/extract
Confectioners’ sugar or glazing sugar, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Blend the almond paste, sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes uniformly crumbly; this is best done in a stand mixer.
Add the egg whites gradually, while mixing, to make a smooth paste.
Stir in the flavorings.
Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared pans. Sprinkle the cookies heavily with confectioners’ sugar, then use three fingers to press an indention into the center of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes on parchment paper. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, then move to rack
Yield: 21 cookies.
*To make Italian pignoli cookies use about 2/3 cup (3 1/2 ounces) pine nuts (pignoli), dip the tops of unbaked cookies in the nuts. Flatten them gently on the baking sheet, and bake as directed.
The dough is very wet and goopy/sticky. I drop each glob of cookie dough directly into a bowl of powered sugar and roll them around. They are easier to handle and place on the cookie sheet.
Ingredients
10 ounces almond paste
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil/extract
Confectioners’ sugar or glazing sugar, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Blend the almond paste, sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes uniformly crumbly; this is best done in a stand mixer.
Add the egg whites gradually, while mixing, to make a smooth paste.
Stir in the flavorings.
Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared pans. Sprinkle the cookies heavily with confectioners’ sugar, then use three fingers to press an indention into the center of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes on parchment paper. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, then move to rack
Yield: 21 cookies.
*To make Italian pignoli cookies use about 2/3 cup (3 1/2 ounces) pine nuts (pignoli), dip the tops of unbaked cookies in the nuts. Flatten them gently on the baking sheet, and bake as directed.
The dough is very wet and goopy/sticky. I drop each glob of cookie dough directly into a bowl of powered sugar and roll them around. They are easier to handle and place on the cookie sheet.