Almond Macaroons

A big thanks to Melissa at work for offering me one of her mother's almond macaroons. It was so good that I asked for the recipe on the spot. By day's end, there was a post-it waiting on my monitor with how to find the recipe. These macaroons are incredibly simple to make and taste great, hard on the outside with a surprisingly chewy center. They were a big hit at the dinner party we went to last night. Even though they are Kosher for Passover, they taste amazing. There is no matzo meal or quintessential Passover ingredients, it just so happens that you are allowed to eat all the ingredients on Passover. All that being said, make them anytime! They will be part of my Passovers and other holidays for years to come! Thanks Mrs. Tischler!

Almond Macaroons (Cook's Illustrated)

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Macaroons need to be baked on parchment paper. They stick to an ungreased sheet and spread on a greased one (mine spread and they tasted great!!).

3 cups blanched slivered almonds (12 oz), measured without packing or shaking the cup

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup large egg whites, plus 1 tablespoon (from about 3 eggs)

1 tsp almond extract

1. Set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle levels of oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Turn almonds into food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and process for one minute. Add sugar and process 15 more seconds. Add whites and extract and process until the paste wads around the blade. Scrape sides and corners of workbowl with spatula; process until a stiff, but cohesive, malleable paste forms, about 5 seconds longer. If mixture is crumbly or dry, turn machine back on and add water by drops through the feeder tube until the right consistency is reached.

3. Allowing a scant 2 Tbsp of paste for each macaroon, form a dozen cookies on each paper-lined sheet, spacing cookies 1.5 inches apart. Roll into 1 inch balls with your palm.

4. Bake macaroons, switching cookie sheet positions midway through baking, until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. If overbaked, macaroons will dry out rather quickly when stored. Leave macaroons on papers until completely cooled or else they may tear. They can be stored in an airtight container for at least 4 days or frozen up to a month.

Enjoy!