These take but minutes to make, yet provide so much pleasure. Make them over the holidays and enjoy with a little desert wine after dinner if the thought of pudding is going just a step too far.
Thank you to my neighbour Jenny for pointing me in the direction of this wonderful recipe.
Ingredients:
300g (3 cups) almond meal
250g caster sugar
2 egg whites
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
icing sugar for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 180degrees celcius.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Mix almond meal and sugar in a large bowl.
Add the lemon zest and the egg whites to the bowl and mix with fingers to form a paste.
Pinch off pieces oft he paste and shape into 3 cm x 4 cm rectangles.
Dust in icing sugar, and place on a baking tray with enough space for the biscuits to spread a little during baking.
Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Notes:
- I added a teaspoon of vanilla bean essence to this batch when mixing the paste together.
-Next time I make these, I'll try it with 200g sugar to have them a little less sweet. I might need to adjust the almond meal measurement to get the right paste consistency.
-As you can see, I didn't worry too much about the 'rectangles'... mine look more like little bugs!
My expert baker friend Lyn wrote to say she made these with a sour Amerena cherry at the centre. Can you imagine the elevation of this humble cookie ?I cannot wait to try this option!