Almond Macaroons (Biskuttini tal-Lewz)

Almond Macaroons are a traditional gluten-free Maltese cookie that will fill your kitchen with aromas of Christmas! Almonds are the main ingredient found in this recipe as well as countless other Maltese sweets and desserts. These almond macaroons have a crisp, sugar exterior with a chewy, nutty centre, a lovely complement to a hot cup of tea. 

When my siblings and I were little, my Godparents would visit our home on Christmas Eve following the Maltese mass. They would bring us an assortment of homemade Maltese delicacies including these macaroons along with a lovely assortment of biskuttini tar-rahal, biscotti and nougat or qubbajt. Because of this tradition, these almond macaroons are a classic holiday recipe in our house and are baked every year in preparation for Christmas.

A special thank you goes out to Auntie Lukie for sharing this goodie with us!

Yields: Approximately 3 dozen macaroons

What you Need

4 large egg whites

1½ cup refined sugar

4 tsp. Almond extract

3 cups of natural ground almonds 

½ cup natural almonds (to decorate cookies)

How to Make it Happen

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and bake the natural almonds on a cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes or until the almonds exude their nutty aroma.

   

   Bake the almonds until they exude their nutty aroma

   
   
2. While the almonds are toasting in the oven, separate four large egg whites from their yolks and place the egg whites into an electric mixer. 
3. Mix the egg whites until they become light and frothy.
4. Next, slowly add the sugar to the egg whites, occasionally scrapping down the sides of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated. Add the almond extract to the egg white-sugar mixture. 
5. Remove the toasted almonds from the oven and allow to cool.
6. Add and thoroughly integrate the ground almonds into the egg-white-sugar mixture. Ensure to chill the batter in the fridge for up to 3 hours as the batter will be too runny &  sticky to form into cookies. 

   

   Place the batter in the fridge to chill for up to 3 hours before forming into cookies

    
   
7. Once the batter has chilled, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet.

   

   Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet with a single almond on top

   
   
8. Take the cooled, baked almonds and place a single almond (point side down) into the centre of each cookie to finish the almond macaroons. Bake the cookies in a 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will be soft once they are removed from the oven. Do not overbake! Allow the macaroons to set for 10-15 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.