The same friend who loves me enough to give me the recipe for Marzipan-laced Stollen also loves me enough give me the recipe for her Almond Paste Cookies.
This is a friend, indeed.
Almond paste cookies are the thing that dreams are made of. After my horrendous Baltimore Marathon experience, I went to a bakery near our hotel and immediately purchased 3 almond paste cookies (in addition to a few other things). The goal was to drown my pain in almond paste. I don’t know if they took the pain away, but it was fun trying.
The almond paste cookies in my girl’s recipe are different than the ones I got at Vaccarro’s that day, but I would venture to say that they taste better!
And I even forgot to add the slivered almonds on the top.
They’re still amazing.
This is my first time making almond paste cookies, so there was a little trial and error involved (and forgotten almond slivers). I found it interesting that the first batch of cookies that went in the oven came out pretty flat, and they were also very difficult to get off of the cookie sheet. After re-reading the recipe, I realized that I was supposed to line the cookie sheet with foil.
Uh. Duh.
(The first batch is on the right).
While the first batch baked, I left the remaining batter on the counter, and didn’t add the second batch of cookies to the sheet until after it had completely cooled. I’m not sure if it was because the dough had some time to rest, or if it cooled down some after all of the mixing, but the second batch was notably fluffier.
I also baked them for the exact same time, and used the exact same amount of dough (I use a mini ice-cream scoop), but the cookies were more golden brown the second time around. In any case, it was good because they looked more like a traditional almond paste cookie.
Unfortunately, there was only enough dough to make 4 of them. And I ate one.
So, after I can actually leave my house (we’ve had 5,000 inches of snow in less than 24 hours), I plan to buy more almond paste and try these again. They are so so good!
The first batch is in the back, and the second is in the front…
Next time, I’ll let the dough rest in the fridge before I start making them, and I’ll also use a silicone mat on the cookie sheet.
Then, hopefully they’ll all look like this…
Yum!
Here’s the recipe!
Chana’s Almond Paste Cookies
1/2 pound almond paste
2 egg whites
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C confectioners sugar
1/4 C flour (I used 1/3 C because my dough was WAY too sticky)
pinch of salt
2 OZ almond slivers
1. Combine both sugars, flour & salt, and set aside.
2. Mix almond paste and eggs with hands. Do not over mix.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well (with spoon).
4. Roll into one inch balls. Roll tops in almonds.
5. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
If you are able to not eat all of these at one time, please do tell me how!
What is your favorite Christmas cookie??
