Paste di Mandorla Siciliane

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve for dusting
• •Baking sheets
• •Parchment paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Grind the almonds

   Place the blanched almonds and granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until you have a fine, sandy texture. This takes 30 to 40 pulses. Stop before it becomes paste. You want powder, not butter. If you process too long, the oils release and you will have almond butter. This cannot be undone.

   Work in batches if your processor is small. An overloaded machine grinds unevenly. Some pieces become paste while others remain coarse.
2. 2

   Add the egg whites

   Transfer the almond mixture to a bowl. Add the egg whites and the lemon zest if using. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. The dough should hold together when squeezed but not be wet. If it crumbles, add a teaspoon more egg white. If it sticks to everything, you added too much. There is no fixing this except patience.

3. 3

   Rest the dough

   Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. The almonds absorb the egg white during this time. The dough becomes easier to shape and the flavor deepens. Do not skip this step.

4. 4

   Shape the cookies

   Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dampen your hands slightly with water. Roll pieces of dough into balls slightly smaller than a walnut, about 25 grams each. Place them on the prepared sheets, leaving two inches between cookies. They spread modestly. Flatten each ball gently with your palm until about half an inch thick.

5. 5

   Create the signature cracks

   Dust the tops generously with powdered sugar through a fine sieve. This creates the characteristic crackled surface as the cookies bake. The sugar melts, the surface dries, and fissures form. Without this coating, you will not achieve the proper appearance.

   Some Sicilian bakers dust twice: once before baking, once immediately after. The second dusting is for beauty. The first is for the cracks.
6. 6

   Bake until cracked and pale

   Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies are done when the surface is covered with cracks and the edges are just barely golden. The centers will seem soft. This is correct. They firm as they cool. Overbaked paste di mandorla are dry and disappointing. Underbaked ones are perfect.

7. 7

   Cool completely

   Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. They are fragile when warm. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before eating or storing. The texture transforms as they cool: the exterior becomes slightly crisp while the interior stays chewy and moist.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out Sicilian almonds (mandorle di Avola) if possible. They are smaller, more intensely flavored, and worth the effort to find. Marcona almonds from Spain are an acceptable substitute. California almonds work but lack the same depth.
• •The lemon zest is traditional in Catania and the eastern half of Sicily. In Palermo and the west, they often omit it. Both versions are correct. Choose according to your preference or your grandmother's origin.
• •Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. They improve on the second day as the moisture redistributes. Some Sicilians insist the third day is best.
• •Do not add almond extract. If you need to add extract to taste almonds, your almonds are not good enough. Find better almonds.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made one day ahead and refrigerated, tightly wrapped. Bring to room temperature before shaping.
• •Baked cookies keep one week in an airtight container. They do not freeze well. The texture suffers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 22g)