Almond macaroons

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 3 egg whites
• 500 g powdered sugar
• 500 g almonds, peeled and freshly ground
• ½ tsp cinnamon, more if desired
• 3 tbsp Amaretto
• 100 g chocolate coating (50 or 70% cocoa)

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

fine Christmas biscuits with cinnamon, without wafers

Lightly beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, then add the powdered sugar and beat the mixture until semi-stiff. Add the almonds, cinnamon, and Amaretto and knead with a hand mixer (the mixture shouldn’t be too stiff). Let the dough rest for half an hour. Now fill a piping bag with the almond mixture with a large nozzle. Place dots on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving some space between each dot. Let rest for another half hour. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). Bake on the second rack from the bottom for 20-30 minutes (the exact time depends on the size of the macarons). Let the macarons cool on the baking sheet, then remove them. Temper the chocolate coating. Now draw fine chocolate lines over the macarons. Let them dry thoroughly and layer them with parchment paper in cookie tins. I like the macarons rather small, like amaretti biscuits, so you should pay attention to the appropriate baking time, depending on your preference! If prepared correctly, the macarons are still nice and soft (and stay that way). I make the chocolate lines like this: I hold a macaron over the bowl of chocolate coating and draw the lines with a teaspoon. This way, the lines might be a bit irregular, but you don’t have to wash the piping bag and you don’t waste any chocolate. It’s difficult to specify the quantities because the size isn’t fixed. However, if the macarons aren’t too big, you’ll get about 100. I’ve also served the macarons with coffee and as part of a dessert, so they’re delicious beyond Christmas.