Alex and I went to Italy at the end of May. We started out
in Sicily and then went up to Naples and Sorrento, finally finishing off in
Rome. It was an amazing experience. While there, I definitely made it my goal
to eat and drink as much local food as possible. I tried some things for the
first time (snails) and I had the best of things I had tried before (ricotta).
But one thing I was disappointed in was the cookies. We
bought cookies in a few places and they always just seemed like I was eating
almond paste. Where was the chew? Where was the crunch? Maybe I’m just not into
the cookies from the region.
So anyway, here is a recipe for chewy almond cookies that I
love.
Chewy Almond Cookies
Adapted from Kitchen Sanctuary
3 egg whites
280 g almond meal
280 g sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp (30 mL) amaretto liquor
Pinch of salt
Extra sugar and powdered sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 325F and line a cookie sheet with parchment
paper. Prepare two small bowls: one with granulated sugar and one with powdered
sugar. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with a hand
mixer, begin to beat egg whites. Once whites are frothy, add the sugar in a
slow steady stream. Continue beating whites to stiff peaks. Add vanilla and
beat to combine. Add almond meal, salt, and amaretto and fold carefully into
egg whites just until no streaks of flour remain.
Roll dough into golf ball sized balls. The dough should be
slightly sticky, but still fairly easy to roll. If it is way too sticky, add
more flour 1 tbsp at a time until you can roll it. Roll each ball in granulated
sugar and then in powdered sugar. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet about
1 inch apart. Once the sheet is full, flatten each dough ball slightly with
your fingers.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden
but still soft in the middle.
Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to
cool completely.
Cookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature
for at least a week.