Almond Cloud Cookies

One kid all better and off to school, now the other one has the bug! They're so different; Stephen did not move from his spot on the couch while he was sick, while Joe was burning up and wanted to help me clean the bathrooms! He's the most cheerful sick kid around, until he finally gives in, then he is quite the miserable little one. My poor boys!

After cleaning the bathrooms and loading the beastie in the car for a much needed romp, I remembered that the dog park was muddy... and my bathrooms were clean... dang. So I called up the nearest Petsmart and am getting her groomed for the first time in her life! I'm excited to see how pretty and fluffy she'll be when I go pick her up! I'll take lots of pictures...

With my new Camera!! Eeeee!!! (More tomorrow, I promise :)

Almond Cloud Cookies (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
Printable Recipe

10 ounces almond paste
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, for topping

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease or line two baking sheets.

Blend the almond paste, sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes uniformly crumbly. Add the egg whites gradually, while mixing, to make a smooth paste. Stir in the extract. Scoop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto the prepared pans. (Very little scoops!)

Sprinkle the cookies heavily with confectioners' sugar, then use three fingers to gently press an indentation into the center of each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool on the pan completely. 

The original recipe called for heaping tablespoons, but these babies spread out so much I recommend a smaller measurement. They're so simple to whip together, and smell so heavenly while baking!

Pure almond flavor, all the way through. Gluten-free too, if you are careful about your extract!

The outside gets crisp and crunchy, while the inside is delightfully chewy! Not like your basic chocolate-chip-cookie-chewy, more like macaron chewy. Must be the egg whites. 

Yum. Positively scrumptious, elegant, and delicious! This one calls for many repeats, definitely!

Shared at Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits