Recipe: Flourless Almond Cookies (Almendrados) - Spanish

FLOURLESS ALMOND COOKIES (ALMENDRADOS)

"The Spanish port city of Alicante sits just south of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea. Very little wheat grows there, but almond trees abound, so local desserts like these cookies often use ground almonds in place of flour. Freshly ground almonds yield the best flavor, but if you want to save time, look for almond flour (or meal) in a well-stocked supermarket."



2 cups whole blanched almonds
2⁄3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Dash of salt
1 large egg
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
24 whole blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 2 cups almonds in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add sugar, lemon rind, salt, and egg; pulse 10 times or until dough forms a ball.

Shape dough into 24 balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Place 1-inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. Gently press one whole almond into the center of each dough ball.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on pans. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Makes 24 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)
Source: Cooking Light Global Kitchen by David Joachim