Recipe: Italian Soft Almond Cookies (Pasticcini di Mandorla) - Gluten Free

SOFT ALMOND COOKIES
(PASTICCINI DI MANDORLA)

"These little almond cookies are found all over Sicily and often in other parts of Southern Italy as well. They are pretty piped with a star tip into rosettes or into "S" shapes, but you needn't be adept at piping; more often they are simply formed into balls and rolled either in confectioners' sugar or chopped nuts before baking, as I have done here."



1 2/3 cups (250 g) blanched almonds
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons mild-flavored honey, such as clover or orange blossom
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioners' sugar, finely chopped pistachios or hazelnuts, sliced almonds, or whole pine nuts, for coating

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177C) with a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Combine the almonds and granulated sugar in a food processor and process until they have the texture of fine meal, scraping the bowl down occasionally to evenly grind the nuts. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and use a spatula to mix in the egg whites, honey, and almond extract until evenly combined.

You can coat the cookies all in confectioners' sugar or a single type of nut, or make an assortment by using several different coatings. Whichever you choose, place each coating in a separate shallow bowl.

Use a tablespoon measure to scoop out level tablespoons of the dough, making thirty-six cookies in total. Roll each dough piece between your palms to form a ball.

To coat the cookies, roll one ball in a topping (confectioners' sugar or nuts), firmly pressing the nuts into the dough with your hands. Continue to coat all the cookies, transferring them to the prepared baking sheet as you form them, allowing 1-inch all around each cookie for spreading.

Bake the cookies until they are light golden and still soft to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 36 small cookies
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Random House
Source: Southern Italian Desserts by Rosetta Costantino with Jennie Schacht