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#22 Pine Nut Macaroons 1960

These hold their shape - happy dance!
Plain in back row, candied orange peels added in front row.
Egg white wash helps hold pignoli.

I have made similar cookies. In fact, the very first cookie in the book, Cajun Macaroons, is similar in type and style. These require blanched almonds (see previous post), pulverized in a food processor or blender with egg white, then mixed with sugar and a bit of liqueur. Tops get pine nuts over a light brushing of egg white.

Too simple a recipe to let it be, I wanted to try some variations. Candied orange peel to the rescue!

Recalling the Cornetti I just made, I added finely pulverized candied orange peel to part of the dough. Another portion got larger bits of the candied peel.

The plain ones were light and almondy, as expected. The key difference from the earlier macaroons is their shape; they come out of the oven exactly the same shape as they go in. No melting flat in the heat of the oven. Ultimate control achieved!

Pignoli stick to this dough.
The reasons? They call for almonds (rather than canned almond paste, which is processed with water), and less egg white than the Cajun Macaroons (from 2 eggs vs. 3). No wonder they hold up. As well, they must sit for several hours to form a crust. Just as in Italy, patience achieves the desired result.

I made a batch of these plain almond macaroons, some Cornetti, and some Italian brownies (recipe and my review coming) for an auction recently. The winning bidder beat out a lot of bids.

The variations: Although the orange peel bits look pretty, they distract a bit from the soft texture of the cookie centers. Maybe a softer orange peel would blend better. I admit over-dehydrating the second batch of orange peels I made. The Cornetti (previous post), in which I first used the candied orange peel, had a grittier texture due to the corn meal added. In that dough, the orange peel did not stand out.

The orange peel dust, which resulted from trying to pulverize the peels in the food processor, gave a lovely light orange hue to the cookies. They do impart their flavor, though, making the addition worthwhile. I think orange zest might give a similar effect with less work. I'll try this next in my quest for my own perfect almond cookie.

A series of flavor and shape variations, and exterior nut variations are in my future. One thing is sure - I will not waste my liqueurs on cookies. They rarely impart much flavor. I'll take my cookies with a snifter of brandy on the side.

Bakery Cookies?
This recipe came closest to the Italian bakery cookies I loved so much. They deserve further experimentation using other nuts, in the dough and as decoration. The nuts stuck to this dough--wet enough to grip the nuts. When they dry, they create that essential exterior crust.

Now that I've achieved the stable shape and stuck-on nuts, I'll be experimenting with the form of almonds I use in the ingredients - almond flour, crushed and blanched almonds, crushed but unblanched almonds. Will the ingredients I settle on be the same ones the Italian bakers use in their almond cookie recipes?

Maybe yes, maybe no. I'll settle for the ones I like best.


No Recipe: I can't find the published recipe posted online. You'll have to wait until I perfect my own. Or buy the book.
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