{oh wait wait, we're in america...}

almond + cinnamon + meringue cookies

i have a few very dear friends that are gluten-free. showing them i love them can be difficult because how is a girl to do that without a good, homemade baked good on every occasion?? so i am constantly on the lookout for good gluten-free recipes, substitutes, and mixes. the best is finding a yummy looking recipe that isn't labeled as gluten-free, glancing through the ingredients, and realizing that everything is gluten-free. it feels like finding the afikomen because in the rare case that you win, there is a yummy treat at the end!!

so here is a recipe that i found yesterday in the rose bakery cookbook, breakfast lunch tea. these cookies are chewy, sweet, butterless, and naturally gluten-free {and christmasy, but who gives a shit}.

almond + cinnamon + meringue biscuits

{makes 40-50 biscuits}

4 egg whites

4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar {plus extra for dusting}

juice of 1/2 lemon

grated zest of 1 lemon

3 1/3 cups ground almonds

generous 1/2 cup finely chopped candied citrus peel

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

first make the meringue. beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then, very gradually, add the sugar. when the mixture is very stiff, beat in the lemon juice.

set aside 6 ounces of the meringue for the topping and put the remaining meringue in a bowl.

add the ground almonds, mixed peel, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

mix until you have a dough-like paste, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

line a baking tray with parchment paper.

dust your work surface with sugar and roll the paste out to make a sheet 1/2 inch thick. cut into your desired shapes {stars, squares, or rounds}.

brush the tops with the reserved meringue and leave to dry on the prepared baking tray for about 1 hour.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and bake the biscuits for about 10 minutes, until the bases are lightly golden. the tops should remain white and the bases must be soft and moist.

cool and enjoy.

dear little cookies,

if you get stale in the mail, i will shoot you.

love,

molly

-yeh!!