Almond Macaroons
One of our all-time favorite bakeries is The Model Bakery in St. Helena. If we could live there, we would! Everything they make is delicious, but our absolute favorite is their Almond Macaroon cookie. We tried for many years to recreate the size and texture of their deliciously moist, rather large cookie with a delicate crunch on the outside and never quite got there.
Unfortunately, we live too far away to enjoy their treats on a regular basis. Fortunately for us, they have published a book of their most popular recipes: The Model Bakery Cookbook, available on the bakery’s website as well as Amazon.
A note about almond paste…
Commercially produced almond paste is available at most super markets on the baking isle. These almond pastes tend to contain 50% almonds and 50% sugar. For this recipe, we prefer a premium almond paste such as Mandelin, which is made with 66% almonds, resulting in a much better flavor and texture.
Process the almond paste and granulated sugar in a food processor to make a fine crumbs.
Almond Macaroons
- 1 lb almond paste, broken into walnut sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups (10.6 oz) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (2.8 oz) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup (1.3 oz) all purpose flour
Process the almond paste and granulated sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade to make a fine crumbs. Add the egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, and flour and process until the dough comes together. Scrape dough into medium bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Line two half sheet pans with parchment.
We used a 2” diameter Oxo scoop (a little less than ¼ cup capacity) to scoop and drop dough onto one of the lined sheet pans. You should be able to fit 6-8 per pan depending on your scoop size. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated while you bake the first sheet.
Bake one pan at a time for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through baking. When done, the cookies should be golden brown and fully risen in the center. Let cool completely on the pan before carefully removing with a metal spatula (they may stick a bit, so take your time).
Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Makes about 16