Ingredients
- 2½ cups finely ground almonds or almond meal
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated fresh lemon peel
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the almonds, cinnamon, cloves, salt and lemon peel in a bowl, whisk to blend the ingredients and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer starting at low, then increasing the speed to medium-high for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly. Pour in the lemon juice and beat at medium-high for another 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat at high speed for 4-5 minutes or until stiff and glossy.
- Remove about ⅓ of this egg mixture to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the almond mixture to the remaining (⅔) mixture and stir to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼-inch thickness. Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter (we used a 3-inch cutter) to cut out the cookies, and place on your prepared baking sheet. Gather the trimmings, re-roll and cut until all of the dough is used up.
- Spoon the reserved ⅓ egg white mixture atop each of the cookies, and use a small spoon or pastry brush to spread evenly to the edges.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 19 cookies using a 3-inch-wide cookie cutter.
- You can make these cookies as much as a week ahead. Keep them tightly sealed so they’ll stay crispy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour resting
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Holiday