Sephardic Almond Macaroons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put almond paste, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add egg white and vanilla. Mix until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Drop batter by tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Place 2 almond slices on each mound of dough. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, lightly dust cookies with sugar.

Steps:

• Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325. Grind almonds fine in a food processor or heavy duty blender. In a medium bowl mix almonds with sugar, egg whites, and (lemon,if desired). Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets, leaving 1/2 inch between macaroons. Bake 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool well before removing from parchment. Put in plastic bag with a couple of tablespoons confectioners sugar and agitate gently to coat. They keep and freeze well. (about 2 dozen or more)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275°F. In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the lemon zest. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the whites are very stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold in the ground almonds.
• Cover 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray or grease them. Using 2 teaspoons, take a heaping teaspoon of batter in one and scoop it off onto the baking sheet using the other teaspoon. Place the cookies 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cookies are firm and slightly brown. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing the cookies from the baking sheets to a rack. When cool, store in an air-tight container.

Steps:

• Blanch almonds in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, drain and peel. When cool, grind in a food processor.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium-size bowl mix the ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Drop from a teaspoon onto the cookie sheets, leaving 1/2 inch between macaroons. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar when cool.

Steps:

• Using a food processor equipped with a metal blade, grind 2 cups almonds very finely. Add 3/4 cup sugar, the egg and lemon zest, and pulse to make a cohesive dough. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner. Place remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Pinching off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut, roll them first into balls, then into sugar. Gently press an almond point first into top of each cookie, so that half the almond can be seen. Arrange cookies one inch apart on baking sheet.
• Bake until cookies have barest hint of color but still remain soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies must be soft when removed from oven to avoid excess hardening when they cool.) Cool completely, and store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the ground almonds and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, then add to the almond and sugar mixture. Stir well - it will form a slightly sticky mixture but should hold its shape.
• Wet your hands lightly and roll a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into a ball between your palms - it should be about 4cm in diameter. Put on the tray and flatten slightly with wet fingers to a thick disc, leaving at least 3cm between each biscuit. Press a blanched almond into each one, if you like.
• Bake for 18-20 mins until just starting to turn golden around the edges, then remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. You want them to have a chewy, soft centre and the darker they get the harder the middle will be.
• To make cinnamon balls, add the cinnamon to the almonds and sugar before you add the egg white. When shaping, leave them as balls. Bake for 18-20 mins - you want them to stay soft in the centre. While they are still warm, put them gently in a bowl of icing sugar and turn to coat. Leave until completely cooled.