These Almond biscuits are the easiest bake I have ever made. Adapted from a Sicilian treat pasticcini – require only five ingredients. They can be found in every pasticceria in Sicily. Depending on where you go, they vary in shape, some like a crescent moon, others like a soft lozenge of marzipan, others crisper. Ingredients vary, but whatever you choose the principal is the same , ground almonds and sugar brought together into a marzipan-like mixture, which is shaped and baked.
We as a family like them chewy rather than crisp, the choice is yours, it all depends on how long you bake them.
Pasticcini di mandorle – Soft Almond Biscuits
Makes 12- 16 biscuits
350 g ground almonds
150-200g icing sugar ( depends on your sweet tooth)
zest of 1-2 unwaxed lemons
2 medium eggs
30 g Midfields Granola Honey Flakes (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds, icing sugar. lemon zest, and beaten eggs to form a soft sticky dough.
- Dust your hands with icing sugar, and roll a walnut size-ball of dough. Gently roll it between the palm of your hands. They can be rolled on the work surface as long as you dust it with icing sugar. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture. Put the balls on the baking tray and make an indentation in the centre of each ball.
- Place in oven and as they bake they will crack gently. For soft and marzipan- like biscuits bake for 11-12 minutes, for a firmer , chewier biscuit 14-15 minutes.Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They will keep up to a month in an air tight container.