AMARETTI

Recipe Notes: These cookies are light and meringue-like on the outside and a little chewy on the inside. They have just the right amount of sweetness and you'll find that your taste testers will have trouble figuring out the ingredients in these treats.

Preparation Time: About two hours

Quantity: Three dozen

Source: The Essential Baking Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. plain flour
• 1 Tbsp. cornmeal
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 c. ground almonds
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 c. icing sugar

Instructions:

• Line two baking trays with baking paper. Sift the flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, and half the sugar into a large bowl, then add the lemon rind and ground almonds.
• Beat the egg white in a clean, dry bowl with electric beaters until firm peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved. Using a metal spoon, fold the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients are just combined.
• Roll 2 level teaspoons of mixture at a time with oiled or wetted hands into balls (see Tip below) and arrange on the trays, allowing room for speading. Set the trays aside, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C. Sift icing sugar liberally over the cookies, then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.

Tip:

• This batter is fairly runny, and I found it impossible to roll the batter into balls using my hands. Instead, I spooned the teaspoons of batter directly onto the baking trays and used my fingers to gently shape them and smooth the tops. This worked quite well.