I’ve been dying to bake these cookies since my friend Pat posted the recipe for me last fall. At first glance, I knew I’d love them: soft, almond-y cookies made in a bakery? Game on!
But the original recipe from Leite’s Culinaria calls for shaping the dough into little pyramids. I made six or seven pathetic pyramids and baked them. First, it’s a tough shape to master with this particular dough, since it’s not at all firm.
Second, though I measured with a tablespoon, I don’t think my pyramids baked all the way through. In fact, after that, I gave up on pyramids.
Instead, I grabbed my smallest cookie scoop and began making balls! So much easier.
So, lesson learned:
Pyramids are a PITA. 😉
Balls are the best. And that’s how we roll here in Katty’s Kitchen.
Oh, we also roll with a little salt in our sweets (added a pinch) and really, you only need 1 cup of slivered almonds to roll the balls. I also added several more minutes to the original baking time. Ready to roll?
ALMOND BALLS
adapted from Rosa’s Almond Biscotti, Leite’s Culinaria
2 1/3 cups almond meal
1 cup superfine sugar (if you don’t have superfine sugar, you can buzz up granulated sugar in a blender or food processor till extra-finely ground but not powdery)
3 large egg whites
grated zest of 1 orange, preferably organic
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
a good pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, orange zest and almond extract in a bowl, stir well to combine.
Place the sliced almonds in a separate bowl or shallow dish.
Using a small cookie scoop (I used my pink Zeroll #60 Universal EZ Disher–.53 oz. capacity, or 1.06 tablespoons), roll the dough into ball, then roll the ball in the almonds. Since the almonds are sliced, they weren’t too conducive to just “rolling on,” so I wound up pressing some of them into the exposed dough.
Bake for 16-18 minutes till lightly golden. Let cool.
You can store the almond balls in an airtight container for several days. The original recipe calls for sprinkling confectioner’s sugar over the top, but guess what? These are perfect little sweet treats just the way they are–naked, as I intended them. HA HA!
January 13, 2013 at 8:56 pm
I’m with you…going with the balls, although the little pyramids are kinda cool;-) They sure do look like tasty bites of sweetness Hope;-)
January 13, 2013 at 9:47 pm
Hi Katty. Rounds are easier to form. I make my own almond paste recipe by Jacque Torres. I find that if I let it sit for a day, it firms up.
January 13, 2013 at 10:46 pm
Hi, Monina–they sure are! And I clipped your recipe recommendation from Jacques Torres for further almond exploration. 🙂 You will love these, I know, because you love almond horns.
January 26, 2013 at 3:47 pm
Hi Katty, I hope you like Jacque Torres Almond Paste. However, my family, friends and coworkers have become almond horn crazy. They also loved your almond balls and chocolate BBB’s. I will look for more cookie recipe during the year so my gift boxes will have the best selections. I had orders (I did not charge $) that where sent to other states. Keep up the great recipes. Xxoo
January 28, 2013 at 7:33 am
I’d say almond horn crazy is the best possible crazy to be, Monina. ♥ Thanks, as always, for your kind words and support!
January 13, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Balls all the way, lol!! Pyramids are way too fussy for my taste anyways. Will have to let you know my results. Have to wait a day or two to work off the morning buns I ate one too many of this morning, lol. Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
-Gina-
January 14, 2013 at 7:51 am
Back atcha, Gina! Can’t wait to hear what you think of them! Let’s hear it for 2013: The Year of the Balls!
January 14, 2013 at 7:22 am
Either shape looks wonderfully delicious! I love that way the almond slices are placed on the balls; looks very hands on, and made with love!
January 14, 2013 at 7:52 am
Aww, thank you! Made with love for almond lovers! I’m so glad you shared this with me! It’s a total keeper!
January 14, 2013 at 10:44 am
Hello Katty,
I’m so glad that you liked the recipe, which you slightly adapted from our site. The publisher, Chronicle, the author, Guy Mirabella, and I would appreciate it if you could supply a link back to the orignal recipe on Leite’s Culinaria. We secured exclusive rights to publish it. A link back will at least keep a connection back to the source.
Thank you.
January 14, 2013 at 11:02 am
Hi, David:
You’ve got it now. Thanks!
January 14, 2013 at 11:07 am
Thank you, darlin’! Really appreciate it!
January 14, 2013 at 11:16 am
My pleasure to a) add these delicious cookies to my recipe files and b) have YOU visit my humble blog. 🙂 P.S. Tell Rosa I give her much credit for pyramid construction–holy smokes! Have a great week!
January 15, 2013 at 11:16 pm
I was wondering where the salt goes in. I’m just putting it in the batter, thanks my dear.
January 16, 2013 at 7:04 am
Ahh, good catch! I put it in with the flour, but do confess, I wasn’t sure it was salty enough and put a little extra in the batter itself. Fixed the recipe now, thank you.
January 16, 2013 at 12:46 am
Okay my dear, here is the verdict; two thumbs up. I used ground roasted salted almonds instead of the sliced to eliminate the not-sticking problem. (Good call added a bit more salt). Also I think they would be perfectly fine with only 1 teaspoon of almond extract, not that big of a deal though. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
-Gina-
January 16, 2013 at 7:06 am
So cool! Glad you reported back. I’m sure you’re right about the almond extract, too, but I hate to make anything LESS almond-y, HA HA! 🙂 Fun to bake with you, Gina!