a family classic

lately, i've had the persistent

urge

to make cookies.

not to eat them,

just to make them.

it started weeks ago,

when i was visiting my

family and felt

like i should show

up with something

other than,

well, us.

but i didn't.

then, a week later,

i was unexpectedly

seeing them again,

and more determined

this time.

so i looked over

cookbook

after cookbook

and picked several

potential recipes,

but none felt right.

none called out to me,

made me feel i

knew exactly what i was

getting into,

or that they would

possibly be the cookie

my not-yet-born

grandchildren

of my not-yet-born

children

will ask for when

they come to visit.

yes, i take recipe

choosing very seriously.

so again, i didn't

make any.

then this weekend,

in spite of the fact that

we had nowhere to

go and nobody to

entertain or to bestow

a gift upon, i finally

made cookies.

the winning recipe,

it turns out,

was not from any of

my cookbooks - although

in fairness to my cookbooks,

i didn't make my way through

all of them, so there could still

be a spectacular

sweet something hiding

out on those shelves -

but from the january

issue of gourmet.

the chewy amaretti sandwich cookies

just looked so delicate

and crackly

and pretty.

i was up for a challenge,

but these only had three

ingredients -

almond paste,

sugar

egg whites -

and i realized immediately,

i didn't need a challenge.

please don't panic.

i'm pretty sure that i may

have lost half of you

at the mention of

almond paste -

my best friend included -

but it is almond paste,

not marzipan.

oh, marzipan -

gives a

bad name to all things

almond.

you often see it

rolled into little colorful

fruits or other shapes

and used to garnish

cakes or tarts.

in order to make the

mixture so moldable,

they add a ton of sugar.

the flavor and grainy texture

is a turnoff

to most people.

almond paste, though,

is really

designed to be

edible and has a

much smaller sugar

content, so that

the almond flavor

can really shine.

anyway, back to

my grandchildren's

favorite cookie.

they couldn't be

easier to make:

you simply toss

all of the ingredients

into the food processor,

pulse until smooth

and transfer to

a piping bag.

it's a lot easier to fill the pastry bag if you place it, once you've cut the end and inserted the tip, upside down inside a cup.

they bake

until they're golden

brown and cracked,

and your kitchen

smells of a corner

bakery.

but, then,

it does get a little

complicated.

let me rephrase.

it gets complicated if:

you're uncoordinated

(like me),

are without assistance

(like i was)

or find out that you

have an abnormally

large sink

(like i apparently do).

otherwise, you'll

be fine.

you see, what happens

next is that you take

the hot pans,

with the baked

cookies still on them,

and rest the metal on an

angle in your sink.

then,

you lift the corner

of parchment paper,

upon which,

the cookies have been

resting,

and you pour water

in between.

i'm sure pictures

of me trying to

do this

would be

priceless.

somehow, i got

my act together with only

two casualties (it was

quick - they didn't know

what hit 'em).

for the rest of the batch,

the water did its trick,

slightly steaming

their bottoms

and making

them sticky.

this helped later,

when they were cool,

pulled off the

parchment and

sandwiched

together.

one final note,

i made them waaaay

too big.

they're meant to be piped

into 3/4-inch rounds,

which is quite small.

i would have bet you

a nickle mine were

the right size

(ok, maybe 7/8-inch),

but when i ran out

of batter early,

i pulled out a ruler

and learned

that my dollops

ranged from 1 to 1 1/2

inches.

oh, and did i mention,

they spread?

eek.

no matter,

really. they still baked

in the required time

and were

really yummy

and

very special.

but next time -

because there

will absolutely

be a next time -

i will try my darnedest

to make them the

mini,

delicate,

pop-in-your-mouth

and savor

spheres

i believe

they are meant to be.

this way,

they're sized for

kids,

creatively gourmet

for adults,

easy enough

for you

to whip up

and bake -

and the perfect

family cookie,

now, or...

whenever.

chewy amaretti sandwich cookies

from gourmet magazine

while most recipes, including this one, have the best results when prepared with room temperature eggs, they are much easier to separate cold. so i always separate straight from the fridge and then let them come up to temp on their own. by the time i found the hard-copy of the recipe, located my piping bags, preheated the oven and drank the rest of my sunday morning coffee, the whites were ready. this recipe calls for two whites, but who knows, your next recipe could call for two yolks - simply store in the fridge for a few days or keep for a couple months in the freezer.

1 tube (7 oz.) pure almond paste (3/4 cup)

1 cup sugar

2 large egg whites, at room temperature for 30 minutes

arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. heat oven to 300˚F. line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

in food processor, pulse almond paste and sugar until broken up and combined. add egg whites and pulse until smooth. transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 3/8" plain tip. pipe 3/4" rounds, 3/4" apart on baking sheets. bake 15-18 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until tops are puffed and golden brown.

wearing an oven mitt, rest pan at an angle in the sink. gently lift one corner of parchment paper and slowly pour 1/4 cup water between paper and pan so that all of the paper is moistened. let cookies cool completely on cooling rack. sandwich pairs of cookies together. let cookies dry at least 20 minutes before eating.

store in airtight container for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month.