Italian Macaroons

Don’t confuse these with coconut macaroons; Italian macaroons are amaretti, the chewy almond cookies you’ll find at every Italian bakery and holiday table.

The whole flavor and texture come from almond paste, which you knead by hand with sugar and egg whites until smooth and workable, with just a couple tablespoons of flour for structure. There’s no butter and no yolks, so they bake up naturally dairy-free with a crackly, sugar-dusted shell and a soft, marzipan-like middle.

The one step people skip at their peril is the rest: after you drop the little mounds onto the pan, let them sit about 20 minutes to ‘cure’ and form a skin. That’s what gives them their signature crackled top instead of a smooth, flat surface. Bake them low and slow so they set without browning, then crown each with a candied cherry or green citron. They’re lovely alongside biscotti and espresso.

Pro Tips

• Knead the almond paste with the sugar and egg whites until completely smooth before adding flour, so there are no lumps.
• Don’t skip the 20-minute rest; it lets a skin form, which gives the cookies their crackly top.
• Bake low so the macaroons set and dry without browning; they should stay pale.
• Press the cherry or citron on gently before baking so it stays put as the cookies puff.

Variations

• Roll the mounds in powdered sugar before resting for a snowy, cracked exterior.
• Add a few drops of almond extract for an even more pronounced almond flavor.
• Skip the candied fruit and top each with a whole blanched almond or pine nuts.