Italian Almond Macaroons

A very good friend of mine was so thoughtful to bring me back a little sampling of artisan chocolates from her latest trip to Paris.

I’m ashamed to admit, this little act of kindness occurred almost a month ago. Why am I ashamed? Well, you see, I promised her I would bake her some yummy cookies and send them to her as a token of my thanks and appreciation.

Sad to say my indecisiveness has prevented me from getting these out to her sooner. My friend is not really a chocolate lover, so I’ve been trying to figure out what the perfect cookie would be for her.

Then eureka! A while back when we used to work together, she would always bake cookies in the office, the same cookie every single time… cherry chip cookies with a hint of almond. They had a special name for these cookies in the office because they were SO addicting…

Which finally lead me to select these just for her.

Almond Macaroons
from Martha Stewart’s Cookies

4 ounces almond paste (about 5 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar plus more for dusting
1 large egg white
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Put almond paste, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on medium speed until crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add egg white and vanilla. Mix until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes.

Drop batter by tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or sylicon baking mat. Place two almond slices on each mound of dough.

bake until cookies arae golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Let them cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment paper in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Tagged as: almonds, Chocolate, Vanilla