Greek Almond Cookies

This recipe is from my friend Denise in Sydney Australia.

Amigthalota are traditional Greek almond cookies made into different shapes. 

They are gluten-free and can be made a week ahead. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

3 cups of almond meal or flour *

1 cup of white sugar - 1 Tbs.(or reduce to 3/4 Cup)
3 drops of almond extract
3 egg whites, beaten lightly (Extra Large Eggs) or 6 TBS liquid egg white from  the carton 

 For Vegan option, use Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacement and mix according to directions. *
1 cup of sliced almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 325. Combine almond meal and sugar in a large bowl. Beat the egg whites lightly with a mixer or whisk till frothy. Add the almond extract. Add the egg whites to the dry mixture and stir until it forms a firm paste (looks like Marzipan).

Roll level tablespoons of the mixture in the sliced almonds then roll into 2" logs. Press on additional almonds and form into a crescent shape. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake about 13-15 minutes until browned lightly. 

You can also use a small cookie scoop and roll the dough into a ball. Then press each ball in the sliced almond (one side) and place it on the cookie sheet almond side up.  Cool on trays. Suitable to freeze. Do not microwave. 

*Almond flour (you can buy this – it’s almonds already ground up).  One brand is Red Mill available at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. Or, if you have a food processor or blender, you can grind up blanched almonds (whole or slivered).

* Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer works very well. Mix up enough for 3 egg white equivalent. If you find the mixture is still a bit dry, mix up one more egg equivalent, and add a little till you get the right texture.

It is a good idea to test bake one or two cookies first.  If you find they spread out, then you need to add a little more ground almonds.  The mixture should be fairly firm – not too wet when you roll it. 

Makes 24-25

I used the natural ground almonds and it also works well, but the cookies look nicer when you use the balanced almonds. 

The best cookie sheets are called "Air Bake". Here's a link to them on Amazon, but you can also find them at Target usually. 

Amazon - Air Bake Cookie Sheets