Almond Raspberry Cookies

The cookies straight out of the oven and....

the finished product with powdered sugar!!

I love almonds.  Almond extract and almond paste, in my opinion, are the best ingredients for baking.  These cookies incorporate almond paste with raspberry jam.  The flavors complement each other in a very unique way and the texture of the cookie also stands out from your typical sugar cookie or chocolate chip.  They are a great cookie for a holiday or special event because the finished project is beautiful and the jam adds a beautiful pop of ruby red.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (slivered almonds work too)

1 7-ounce tube almond paste, lightly crumbled

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup egg whites

Powdered sugar (optional but necessary for a beautiful presentation)

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Bake Time: 12 minutes    Oven Temp: 350 F

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Spread sliced almonds on sheets.

2. In a food processor, grind almond paste, cinnamon and sugar.  Add egg whites and mix until combined.

3. Transfer dough to large ziplock bag.  Aim for a corner when you pour the dough into the bag so that dough does not stick to the upper sides of the bag.

4. With scissors cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag to from a ½ inch hole.

5. Squeeze dough from bag onto almond sheets in 2 inch strips.  Strips will look like small logs.  Roll the dough logs in the almonds to coat.

6. Transfer dough logs onto prepared baking sheets leaving a generous amount of space between each cookie.  They will spread considerably in the oven.

7. Bake 2 sheets at once for 12 minutes. Rotate the top and bottom sheets half way through the baking time (i.e. after 6 minutes)

8. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Once cooled, sift powdered sugar over cookies.

9. Simmer jam over medium heat in a small sauce pan.  Simmer until bubbles form, between 30 seconds and one minute. Remove jam from heat and spoon onto underside of a cookie.  Use another cookie to from a cookie sandwich with the raspberry jam as the filling.

10. These cookies can turn out very large so feel free to cut them in half to make them a more appropriate serving size.