Amaretti Cookies

If you like marzipan, you'll love these cookies. I love marzipan. As a kid - when I inexplicably hated chocolate - my favorite treats were marzipan and maple sugar candy. 

I've never had amaretti cookies - or even heard of them, honestly - but they taste exactly as I anticipated they would after reading the ingredients. They taste like baked marzipan. They're crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and oh so almondy. One bite, and I was transported to my 12 year old self - perm, braces, enormous glasses and all... 

I made these because they are an ingredient in this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. There are some stores that sell them, and you can find them online which I know many of the other bakers did, but we are pretty strict about eating only organic food, and there were no organic versions that I could find. They were just about the easiest cookie I've ever made, and they are delicious. I will definitely be making these again. I say that about everything, don't I...

Amaretti Cookies

adapted from recipe by Garrett McCord for simplyrecipes.com

2 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 300. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In bowl of stand mixer, stir together sugar and ground almonds until well combined. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Add eggs 1 at a time, and mix on medium until dough forms. Make flat-ish circles on parchment paper, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. These cookies do not spread, so they can be somewhat crammed in. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. If you want them extra chewy, reduce baking time by 3-5 minutes - cookies will be lightly browned around the edges. Transfer cookies (on parchment) to cooking rack, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before removing them from the paper. Try not to eat all of them in one sitting!