Chewy Almond Cookies Macaroons Recipes

CHEWY ALMOND MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
• In a large mixing bowl, crumble the almond paste. Add the sugar and salt.
• Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until well mixed.
• Pour in the amaretto and gently work the liquid into the almond mixture until a paste forms.
• In a shallow, flat bowl, sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. Set aside.
• Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop out the dough into the powdered sugar.
• Roll each ball in the powdered sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 1-inch space between the balls.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Allow the dough balls to sit on your counter for 20 minutes to dry out.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

ALMOND MACAROONS

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.

CHEWY ALMOND COOKIES (MACAROONS)

Steps:

• Process almonds in a food processor 9 minutes or until a paste forms, stopping to scrape down sides.
• Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Combine almond paste, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon in a bowl, mixing with hands until blended.
• Add egg whites; knead by hand until smooth and doughlike consistency.
• Wet fingers with water, and shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie).
• Slightly flatten with thumb.
• Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Top each with almond sliver pressed in lightly.
• Bake on middle rack of oven at 325° for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
• Remove cookies immediately to wire racks; cool.

ALMOND MACAROONS I

Steps:

• Cover cookie sheets with parchment or aluminum foil, shiny side up.
• Soften almond paste with your hands or food processor. In large mixing bowl, blend almond paste and sugar.
• Separate eggs and add whites to mixture. Mix in confectioners' sugar, flour and salt. Stir well.
• Force dough through a cookie press or drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Sprinkle cookies with chopped almonds and bake for 25 minutes. Remove parchment or foil from cookie sheets and let cool. Peel off macaroons.

RICCIARELLI: CHEWY ITALIAN ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Whip egg whites and lemon juice together with a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Using a fine mesh sieve, sift in almond flour, 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder and fold into egg whites. I don't do it all at once but maybe in 2-3 batches. Try to keep some air in the egg whites, but at this point it will form a pretty sticky dough rather than a fluffy meringue.
• Add orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract and fold in until combined.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using clean hands, roll dough into balls about 1" in diameter, then roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Shape into an oval, then arrange on baking sheet with some space between them for spreading, and flatten slightly.
• Leave at room temperature for about an hour or until the tops have dried out and formed almost a little shell. (This may take longer in humid areas.) Pre-crack the shell by squeezing the cookies slightly from opposite corners. (Not doing this won't affect the taste, but pre-cracking them makes them much prettier if you want that beautiful white-gold contrast!)
• While cookies are drying, preheat oven to 300 degrees. When the cookies are ready, bake for about 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. These are even better the next day and are great with coffee or tea!

CHEWY ALMOND MACAROONS

Steps:

• In a food processor grind fine the whole almonds with the sugar, the almond extract, and the salt. In a bowl beat the whites until they are foamy (just before they hold soft peaks) and fold in the almond mixture gently but thoroughly. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, pipe 1-inch mounds onto the parchment, 2 inches apart, and sprinkle them with the sliced almonds. Bake the macaroons in the middle of a preheated 300°F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges, and let them cool on the parchment. Peel the macaroons from the parchment and store them in an airtight container.

CHEWY ALMOND MACAROON BISCUITS

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.