Tea cookies without butter or margarine ?

Macaroons are usually made with coconut which is high in saturated fat. These are made with almonds whose fat is considered "healthy".

Sephardic Almond Macaroon Recipe

(Macaroons that are sephardic use a lemon zest flavoring instead of the traditional almond extract. )

3 large egg whites Zest of 1 large lemon 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups blanched finely ground almonds

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Mix in zest, and then sugar. Fold in almonds.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper or a silpat, then oil it. Scoop 2 tsp. batter per cookie onto the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 275F. Let cool.

Feranija,

best bet is to make something without fat, although be aware that sugar contributes greatly to increased cholesterol too, just as much as fat. You could subsititute something like Splenda or Equal for consistency and flavour - would be good to know how that turns out.

The types of biscuits you could make are yummy amaretti or any italian style almond based biscuit such as bocconcini or biscotti (the original tuscan cantucci). The fat in almonds is primarily good fats that help reduce cholesterol. Ditto if you used walnuts instead. A little good dark chocolate won't do much harm either. Cheers Viviane

Here are a few that could get you started:

BRUTTI MA BUONI

125g/4.5oz hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and finely chopped 125g/4.5oz icing sugar, sifted 4 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick baking paper. Put the hazelnuts and icing sugar in a heavy saucepan. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a bowl, then add to the pan. Place the pan over moderate heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and is a light golden brown.

Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop out the mixture with 2 teaspoons into rough mounds and place them spaced apart on the baking paper to allow for slight spreading during cooking. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the biscuits on the paper to wire racks and leave to cool (they will harden on cooling). Makes about 20.

These biscuits literally mean "ugly but good" which describes them perfectly!! They are a speciality of the Veneto region in Italy. They are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. You can substitute almonds for the hazelnuts.

FAVE DEI MORTI

1.25 cups whole unblanched almonds 2/3 cup pine nuts 1.25 cups sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 egg whites 1/4 cup unsifted unbleached or all-purpose flour

Grind nuts, a few at a time, until they have a flour-like consistency. In a bowl, mix the nuts with the sugar, baking powder and flour. Stir in the egg whites with a heavy spoon, mixing until dough sticks together.

Shape in teaspoon sized balls and flatten slightly on a greased baking sheet; do not allow cookies to touch. With a teaspoon handle, press in one edge of the cooky round to make a bean-like indentation. Bake in a 190C/375F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until pale brown. Cool on wire racks; store airtight.

Makes about 5.5 dozen.

Fave dei morti literally means "beans of the dead" and are traditionally eaten in Italy on All Souls Day, November 2.

PINOCCATE

500g sugar 300g ground almonds 4 egg whites 1 tsp vanilla essence 200g pine nuts

In a food processor place the sugar, ground almonds, vanilla and egg whites. Whirl for a minute or so, to form a smooth paste. Mix the whole pine nuts into this mixture and with the help of a spoon form little mounds the size of a walnut on an oiled baking sheet. Dry in the oven at 160C/325F for 10-12 minutes. Serves 4 - 6

PINOLATI

200g/7oz ground almonds 300g/110z caster sugar 3 egg whites 200g/7oz pine nuts (pignoli)

Mix together the almonds, sugar and 2 of the egg whites, working the ingredients together to a pliable (not crumbly) almond paste dough. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8.

Put the remaining egg white in a bowl and break up with a fork. Spread the pine nuts out on a plate. Take small pieces of the almond paste in your fingers and roll into about 30 walnut-sized balls. Dip each ball in egg white, then roll in the pine nuts until evenly coated. Put the balls in paper petit four cases and place on baking sheets. Bake for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and leave to cool.

Makes about 30

Amaretti Lutzoni

*Gourmet ** July 1992* 4 1/2 cups blanched whole almonds (about 1 1/2 pounds) 3 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 4 large egg whites About 80 blanched almond halves or eighty 1/4-inch pieces of candied orange rind for garnish if desired In a food processor grind the whole almonds with 3 cups of the sugar and the zest until the mixture is powdery and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In another bowl beat the whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks and fold them into the almond mixture gently but thoroughly. (The mixture will have the texture of wet sand.) Form heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls, roll the balls in the remaining sugar, shaking off the excess, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on buttered and floured baking sheets. Flatten the balls to a 1/2-inch thickness and gently press 1 of the almond halves or pieces of orange rind into each one. Bake the amaretti in a preheated 300-degree F. oven, switching the baking sheets after 15 minutes, for 30 minutes, transfer them to racks, and let them cool. The amaretti keep for 3 weeks in airtight containers. Makes about 80 amaretti.

Lingue Del Diavolo (Devil's Tongues)

Ingredients:

350g almonds 600g sugar 35g cocoa (unsweetened) 100g plain flour 250ml egg white 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

Grease and/or line baking trays with baking paper. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Mix together the sugar, cocoa, almonds and vanilla; moisten with a little of the egg white and chop finely. Add the flour and the remaining egg white to the mixture and mix to an even "paste". Using a pastry bag, pipe the mixture into lengths, about 7.5cm (3 inches) onto the baking trays, leaving room between them. Bake until golden but not too dark. 10min? Watch the oven as these are delicate. Leave to cool on wire racks.

To finish, dip 1/3 - 1/2 of the biscotto into dark or white chocolate and leave to harden.

Great with coffee or to serve with icecream.

*Pasticcini di Mandorle e Caffè* (Coffee-Flavored Almond Cookie Squares) Ingredients: 500 grams (1 pound 2 ounces) Almonds 500 grams (1 pound 2 ounces; this is slightly more than 2 cups) Sugar 5 egg whites beaten until stiff 5 teaspoons of ground espresso coffee Powdered sugar (the kind that doesn't include starch) Directions: Peel and crush the almonds. Mix sugar with 3 tablespoons of water, crushed almonds, ground coffee, and egg whites. Grease a rectangular pan and cover with fine bread crumbs. Pour mixture into pan and bake at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut in small square pieces, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. Yields 3/4 kg (1.65 lbs.) of cookies. That's it!

I cannot remember exactly where I got this recipe from....some cookbook in Italy but I don't know which. They are very simple to make and delicious. They require no baking...just drying time...how long depends on the weather I guess.

Ingredients: 125g dark chocolate 200g sugar 250g finely ground almonds 1/2 cup** espresso coffee 1/2 small glass liqueur

Method: Grate the chocolate finely. Mix together well the chocolate, ground almonds, sugar, coffee and liqueur. Mix it well so that the dough is homogeneous and smooth. Roll out the dough on a marble (preferably)surface which has been lightly dusted with icing/confectioner's sugar. Cut into squares. Allow to dry out completely. They are now ready to eat! No baking!

** NB: By cup, I mean an espresso coffee cup, not a standard measuring cup! So think small!! BTW, a small glass means a liqueur glass too.

Feranija wrote: