Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

Składniki

2¼ cups almond flour (7.6 oz / 216g)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons plus ½ cup raspberry jam (7.8 oz / 220g)

2 large egg whites (2.5 oz / 70g), at room temperature

⅓ cup granulated sugar (2.3 oz / 66g)

½ cup plus ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (3.2 oz / 92g)

1 cup freeze-dried raspberries (1 oz / 28g)

Wskazówki

MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond

flour, baking soda, and salt to combine. Set aside.

MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, vanilla, almond extract, and 3 tablespoons of the raspberry jam until

smooth. Set aside.

BEAT THE EGG WHITES AND SUGAR: In a clean, large, nonplastic bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until they're broken up and frothy, about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the whites are foamy and opaque, about 30 seconds, then gradually add the granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream, beating constantly. Once all the sugar is added, continue to beat just until you have dense, glossy egg whites that hold stiff peaks (see page 339 for what this stage looks like). Set the bowl aside.

MAKE AND CHILL THE DOUGH: Use a large flexible spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites until well combined, then scrape in the jam mixture and continue to fold until you have an evenly mixed, stiff, and tacky dough (for more on the proper technique, see Folding a Mixture, page 351). The baking soda will react with the acidity in the jam and turn the batter grayish, which is normal. Cover the bowl and refrigerate

the dough for at least 1 hour to let it rest.

PORTION AND FREEZE THE DOUGH: Scoop a rounded tablespoon of dough and roll it between your palms to form a smooth sphere, then transfer it to a plate. If the dough sticks to your palms, dampen your palms lightly with a drop or two of water. Repeat until you've rolled all of the dough into spheres and transferred them to the plate. You should have about 22 spheres. Transfer the plate to the freezer and chill uncovered until the spheres are cold and no longer tacky to the touch (but not frozen solid), 15 to 20 minutes.

PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

COAT THE COOKIES: Place ½ cup (1.9 oz / 55g) of the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Remove the plate from the freezer and, working one piece at a time, toss the spheres in the confectioners' sugar until generously coated all over, then place on the prepared sheet pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You should be able to fit all the spheres (they spread just a little during baking).

BAKE AND FORM THE THUMBPRINTS: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven

and bake until the cookies have a crinkled surface and are golden brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 10 minutes. While the cookies are still hot from the oven, press the handle end of a wooden spoon straight down into the center of each cookie and wiggle slightly to make an impression, but don't press all the way through to the sheet pan. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the sheet pan, then carefully peel them away from the parchment paper one by one and transfer to a wire rack.

PULVERIZE THE RASPBERRIES: Place the freeze-dried raspberries in a resealable bag, press out the air, and seal. Use a rolling pin, mallet, or heavy-bottomed saucepan to crush the raspberries to a fine powder. Add the remaining ⅓ Cup (1.3 oz / 36g) confectioners' sugar to the bag and seal again, then shake well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh sieve and shake it over the cookies to coat them completely in the pink sugar (sift any remaining sugar into a container and save for another use; discard any larger pieces trapped in the sieve).

FILL THE THUMBPRINTS: In a small saucepan, warm the remaining ½ cup (5.6 oz / 160g) jam over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, just until it's fluid (or microwave it in a small bowl in 15-second bursts). Remove the saucepan from the heat and use a teaspoon to fill the impressions with the warm jam. Let the thumbprints sit uncovered until the jam is mostly set, 15 to 20 minutes.

Notatki

These macaroon-like almond cookies-loosely based on ricciarelli, a cookie native to Siena, Italy-are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, a textural combination I prize. And because macaroons of all varieties trend sweet, this cookie is flavored with raspberry jam, which is added to the dough and spooned into the thumbprint centers, as well as pulverized freeze-dried raspberries, to add some fruity acidity. I love the crinkled look the cookies develop while baking, and I especially love that they remind me, both in flavor and in texture, of much more elaborate French macarons while requiring a fraction of the time, effort, and technical skill to make.