Sicilian Almond Cookies

For today's Sicilian dessert recipes I made some classic Sicilian cookies, paste di mandorla.
Sicily, and especially the South-East, is well known for the quality of its almonds that are used to make sweets such as granita, sorbet, marzipan and latte di mandorla (almond milk), as well as being used in savoury dishes or just as a stand-alone snack. The climate around the Iblei mountains and half-way up Etna offers an ideal setting for almond trees. In this climate they do not require any herbicides or pesticides since the tree is in its natural setting and that maintains a strong flavour and a very high quality.
This recipe embodies what we think is a large part of the success and appeal of Italian cooking. Its all about the ingredients - put together in a very simple way. The necessary ingredients are:

300gr of finely crushed almonds reduced into flour
300gr of icing sugar
2 whisked egg whites
The zest of 1/2 a lemon
200-300gr of almond flakes

Begin by whisking the egg whites until they are stiff enough to hold their shape. Then add the almond flour, icing sugar and lemon zest. Mix everything in a mixer until it forms a thick, slightly sticky paste. No more liquid is required because the egg whites and the natural oil within the almonds helps to bind everything together.

Shape the cookies in whatever shape you like. You could make small balls and roll them in pistachio nuts, you could make disk shapes and add some candied fruits in the middle. Just be careful that they are not too thick which may lead to the outside being cooked but the inside remaining uncooked. I love them rolled in almond flakes. They then go in the oven until golden. They taste best once you've allowed them to rest for 15-20 minutes. The results are shown below...