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Pasticcini di Mandorla (Little Almond Cookies)
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Makes about 32 cookies 1x
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) superfine blanched almond flour, plus more if needed
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon), plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed juice
- 3 large (90 g) egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Decoration
- Glacé red and green cherries
- Whole blanched almonds
- 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
Instructions
- Measure the almond flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a bowl. Whisk well to combine and to break up any lumps of almond flour.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice until foamy. Pour this into the almond flour mixture, along with the amaretto and almond extract. Stir everything together with a sturdy spatula until you have a soft, sticky dough. It should be firm enough to pipe and hold its shape. Sprinkle in a little more almond flour if it is too wet or soft. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Scoop the chilled dough into a large, sturdy pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (5-mm) closed-star tip. Holding the tip directly over the parchment, pipe out grooved stars about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter, leaving about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) of space between them. You should be able to fit 16 cookies onto each sheet. Garnish each cookie with a glacé cherry or blanched almond.
- Bake the pasticcini, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven, for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Take care not to overbake or the cookies may be tough. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks.
- Warm the honey in the microwave until it is loose. While the cookies are still warm, brush them with a light coating of honey. Let the pasticcini cool completely. Store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
– Excerpted from Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region by Domenica Marchetti. Photos by Lauren Volo. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith Books.