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Amaretti Cookies: Preheat oven
to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment
paper. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) plain tip.
Using Food Processor:
Break the almond paste into small pieces and place in bowl of food
processor, with the sugar. Pulse until the mixture is very fine. Add
the egg whites
in three additions, processing well after each addition. Continue
processing the dough until very smooth (about one minute).
Using
Electric Mixer: Break the almond paste into small pieces and place in bowl of electric
mixer along with the sugar. Mix on low speed until very fine. Add
the egg whites
in three additions, mixing well after each addition. Continue mixing the dough
until very smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Fill
the pastry bag with the almond mixture. Pipe 1 1/2 inch (3.75 cm) mounds onto
the parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. After you have filled
the baking sheet with cookie mounds, take a damp paper towel and
lightly press the top of each cookie to smooth out the surface (you want to
smooth out the tip of dough at the top of each cookie caused from piping).
Lightly sprinkle a little sugar on top of each cookie.
Bake
for 15 minutes, or until the cookies have risen, are a deep golden color and have
tiny cracks. Remove from the oven and place baking pan on a rack to cool. When
cool gently peel cookies from parchment. If they stick to parchment, turn the
paper over, take a damp paper towel and gently wipe the bottom of the parchment
paper to loosen the cookie.
Makes about 40 cookies.
Reference:
Malgieri, Nick. Great Italian
Desserts. Little, Brown & Company. New York: 1990.
Swedish pearl sugar
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