My mom came over a couple of weeks ago and handed me this cookie. She said, "Try this and figure out how to make it and make me some". She has been purchasing these cookies at an Italian bakery 30 minutes from her house for $17/lbs.! She really enjoys these cookies with her coffee in the morning and it has become an expensive habit for her. Once I took a bite, I knew I had to find out how to make these. They are absolutely delicious! They're full of almond flavor (which I LOVE almond flavored desserts) and inside they're soft with an outside crunch from the toasted almonds.

My husband Jon ate half of the cookie, so I only had half to taste and dissect. I really enjoy the process of figuring out recipes. It's fun to taste and write down what I'm tasting and the different ideas and techniques I can use to replicate a recipe. They turned out to be super simple and gluten free. I'm thinking this would also be a good cookie to dip in chocolate or even leave out the powdered sugar. They're pretty to display and they are really easy to make. The only drawback are the prices of the ingredients. Which is typical of nut-based ingredients, but I definitely made these at less than $17/lbs.!

If you're looking for a hearty cookie for afternoon tea, or a simple picnic, these are your cookies! I hope you enjoy them as much as my mom and I! Beware, if you dust them with powdered sugar, they can get pretty messy!

Ingredients:

1 8oz. can of Almond Paste

1/4 cup of Granulated sugar

1/3 cup of Liquid egg whites (or two large egg whites)

3 1/2 tablespoons of Almond Flour

1 6 oz. bag of Slivered almonds

Powdered sugar for dusting *optional

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Open can of almond paste and scoop into a mixer bowl. Mix on medium speed. Add sugar and egg whites. Lastly add almond flour until mixture is dough-like. (Dough will be sticky).

In case you're wondering what exactly Almond paste is!

3. Pour slivered almonds on a plate. Scoop a small ball of dough with a cookie scoop onto the pile of almonds. Roll the ball of dough into the almonds and form a log shape. Then fold ends slightly to make a crescent moon.

4. Place cookies on a silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Almonds should be golden brown on edges.

After!  Baked to a toasty golden brown! — After! Baked to a toasty golden brown!

5. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar.