Almond Macaroons

I thought every so often I would pop up some recipes that I make around Christmas partly in one sense so that I can locate them but partly I thought it might give you some alternative options especially if you are going to bake yourselves this year.  I love almonds but I am particularly fond of home made almond macaroons especially at Christmas they are light and very moorish.  I first made these just after I got married about 36 years ago.

Makes approximately 16 biscuits

Ingredients:

8 sheets of rice paper
2 large egg whites
100g/4 oz ground almonds
175g/6oz caster sugar
25g/1oz ground rice
few drops of almond essence
16 blanched almonds
icing sugar to dust

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to Gas mark 2/150 degrees C/Fan 130 degrees C.
2. Line 2 baking trays with the rice paper (I have used greased greaseproof in the past)
3. Place 2 tsp egg white in a bowl and set aside.
4. Place remaining egg white in a clean bowl (bowl needs to be grease free otherwise meringue will not form properly) whisk until soft peaks are achieved. Fold in the ground almonds, caster sugar ground rice and almond essence.
5. Place heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture on the lined baking trays making sure that they are evenly spaced then brush each almond with the reserved egg white and then place one into each biscuit.
6. Bake for around 25 minutes until pale golden.  Cool slightly on the trays.  Tear off the excess rice paper and cool on  a wire rack.  Dust with icing sugar before serving. 

I make at least a couple of batches of these at Christmas  - they do not last long