Italian Macaroons
When I saw Food Gal’s recipe for Italian Macaroons, I marked it on my to-do list. I’d never had an Italian macaroon, but she described the cookies to be chewy and almond flavored, and so I knew I’d love them. It’s taken me a long time to get around to this recipe. Despite the recipe being easy to make, it required almond paste, which is a bit pricey, and I needed a scale to weigh my ingredients.
I finally got everything I needed, so I made a batch. They were so simple to make, and I love how they taste. They remind me a bit of coconut macaroons, but with almonds instead and with a stickier base. These cookies are small and delicious. I could eat them all day long.
I screwed up a little with the recipe. You are supposed to roll the dough balls in a bowl full of sliced almonds. I accidentally poured the almonds directly into the dough. But they cookies still came out chewy and tasty, and I think it was easier to make with the almonds in the batter, since the dough is super sticky. It just means that the almonds are mixed inside and aren’t just on the outside.
Italian Macaroons
Ingredients
- 7 oz almond paste
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- About 1/2 pound slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mat.
- Break almond paste into pieces. Place in bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Pulse into almond paste is crumbled finely, and evenly combined with sugar.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Stir a little of the egg whites into the almond mixture; it will be fairly dry. Fold in remaining whites.
- Place almonds in a shallow bowl. Roll almond paste mixture into 1-inch balls, keeping them as round as possible. If mixture is too sticky, alternately drop heaping teaspoonfuls into the bowl of almonds; use your fingers to roll the dough ball around until coated evenly with slivered almonds. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. (I just dumped my almonds into the dough and rolled 1 inch balls.)
- Bake cookies until evenly pale gold, 15 to 17 minutes.
Notes
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I actually found it at my local Vons. I’ve seen it at Ralphs too. It’s in this little long shaped box, they only sell one brand. Kinda pricey. ($8 for a tube?) Next time I think I might buy in bulk from amazon.
Where did you find the almond paste at? TJ’s?
I love Daiso! They always have the cutest stuff and the prices are perfect.
Thanks. I love these cookies. I love the cup too. It was a total impulse buy. I got it at Daiso, not sure if you have one in your area. It’s a Japanese version of a “99 cents store” which sells stuff for $1.89.
I need to make these…they sound delicious with the almonds. Nice presentation…like that adorable heart-shaped cup! =)