Sometimes you just need a cookie.
A gluten free one.
A simple, homemade, gluten free cookie.
It’s friday. Treat. Yo. Self.

Chewy Almond Cookies (adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2010) makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

7 ounces almond paste (see note 4 below)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites
2 cups sliced almonds
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
2. In a food processor combine the paste, sugar and cinnamon. Pulse until combined. Add the egg whites. Process until blended. The cookie dough will be wet.
3. Place the sliced almonds in a shallow dish. Using a spoon dollop a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the almonds. Using your fingers, roll the dough in the almonds to form a log shape. Once covered in almonds, place on a cookie sheet and shape into a more uniform log. Repeat until all dough is used.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes watching closely as the bottoms will brown quickly around 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. You will probably think they aren’t done. They’re done. I promise. Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes:

1. This recipe originally called to pipe thin strips of the batter onto a cookie sheet. I wasn’t feeling it. The plop and roll method is totally how  professionals do it.

2. This recipe also instructed you to take those thin cookies you just piped and baked, slather on a layer of jam and put two together for pretty, chewy,  jam and almond cookie sandwiches. That didn’t happen either. See note 1.

3. I tried to get jammy with some of them but to be honest, I didn’t like it. All I tasted was jam and the cookie was lost. It’s never good to lose a cookie.

4. I used Solo brand almond paste. It’s the only gluten free kind I could find. I will try to make my own next time. Anyone have a good recipe?

5. If you like pignolis, you will love these.