Amaretti

October is finally here! I love October. The foliage is at it's peak in Holyoke and looking beautiful. Pumpkins are ripe for picking. You can smell the wood stoves in the neighborhood. And with the chilly nights that we've been having I decided to bake something. 

This recipe is also needed for the next blog post soon to come which will be probably the most quintessential October pasta ever. Even if you don't follow along with me to the end of that one, this cookie alone is a quick, tasty, and simple treat to enjoy in October or any month of the year for that matter. 

I started by putting almonds, cornstarch, and confectioners sugar in a food processor. It gets pulsed until it's ground into a fine powder. 

Then I put some egg whites in my kitchen aid mixer and beat the whites until foamy. 

I then gradually add granulated sugar, almond extract, and amaretto while the mixer is running. The egg whites should be somewhat stiff at this point. 

Next I use a rubber spatula and carefully fold in the almond/sugar mixture to the egg whites. 

At this point, Mario recommends either putting the batter into a piping bag or spooning out the batter onto a sheet pan to bake. I opted for the spoon, although the piping bag would make the end product look prettier. Each cookie gets sprinkled generously with sugar before baking. 

The cookies get baked at 300° for 15 minutes, then the heat is lowered to 200° for another half hour. 

When they're completely dry and crisp in the middle the cookies are done. 

This was the second cookie recipe that I made out of the book and so far I'm impressed. These tasted amazing! Wonderful almond flavor. These are the kind of cookie your grandmother would give you. I enjoyed mine with tea in front of my first fire of the year. 

I am eager to see how this will fit into the next recipe. Do you want to know what it is?

Okay, well for the next post I am making Mario's pumpkin ravioli, (see I told you it's a a great October recipe), and in addition to grating Parmesan cheese over the top, Mario grates one of these cookies over the ravioli to give them a breadcrumb like texture. I can't wait. Until next time...