Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. butter, softened at room temperature (imperative)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup almonds, chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 Tbsp. Amaretto
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. lemon (or orange) zest
- 5 cups flour, sifted
- 1–1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 5 – 8 cups powdered sugar for coating the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 375 F degrees.
- Place the chopped almonds on a baking tray and sprinkle with some water.
- Bake them for 7-8 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
- Use an electric mixer, mix the room temperature-softened butter for 20 full minutes!
- Blend in the powdered sugar thoroughly until creamy and fluffy like whipped cream.
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, and Amaretto; blend.
- Add the baked almonds and blend again.
- In another bowl, blend the sifted flour and the baking powder. (It is very important to sift the flour, so that the cookies will become light and smooth.)
- Gradually add the flour into the butter mixture (from step 2) and work the mixture with your hands, until the ingredients are combined and the dough is soft and easy to work.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees; layer the bottom of 2 baking pans with parchment paper and form the cookies.
- Roll 2 – 3 Tbsps. of the dough into a ball and place on the baking pan.
- Continue with the rest of the dough.
- Place the baking trays with the cookies on the second and fourth grill of the oven and turn the heat down to 350 F degrees.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until they have a very faint golden tint and are cooked through, being careful not to overbake them.
- Set them aside to cool down for a while; If you try to lift them, while still warm, they will break.
- In a large bowl, add all of the powdered sugar and dip the cookies in the sugar, rolling them around, so that the sugar sticks on all sides.
- Place on large platters.
- When done, sift more powdered sugar over the cookies.
