Almond Macaroons(Cook's Illustrated) |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes |
Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 1 |
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Macaroons must be baked on parchment paper. They will stick to an ungreased sheet and spread on a greased one. You need a slightly less stiff dough if piping the macaroons, so add water, as needed, to make a pipeable paste. Ingredients:
7 ounces almond paste (not marzipan) or 7 ounces blanched almonds (not marzipan) |
6 ounces blanched almonds (silvered or whole) |
1 1/4 cups sugar |
3 egg whites, from large eggs |
1 tablespoon amaretto (optional) |
1 teaspoon almond extract |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor and process until roughly chopped. Add the sugar and continue to process until the almonds are finely ground. Crumble in the almond paste (if using) and continue to process until the paste is pulverized and you have a fairly uniform mixture. If you are not using almond paste, process until the almonds are fine and crumbly but not powdery, about 1 minute to 90 second.
3. Add the egg whites, extract, and Amaretto and continue to process until the dough is smooth and begins to form into a ball at the edge of the processor blades.
4. Remove from the food processor and allow mixture to stand for 20 minutes.
5. Dropped or piped the paste onto a parchment-lined sheet leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between each cookie. For an even prettier cookie, gently roll the dough into a ball.
6. Bake for 20-25 minute, rotating the cookie sheets top to bottom and side to side during the baking process. The cookies should be golden on top but should not be over baked as they will have a tendency to harden.
7. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely on the parchment paper. To make removal easier, scrape the cookie off with a table knife or thin spatula to reduce the chance of tearing. Once cooled the cookies can be stored air tight for up to 4 days or frozen for 1-3 months.
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