Spiced Almond Macaroon Buttons

Makes 20 Macaroons • Prep Time: 15 minutes  • Cook Time: 15 minutes

Macaroons and Mexican food have one thing in common: the U.S. versions bear little resemblance to their namesakes. For many of us, the word macaroon conjures up an image of a large, chocolate-covered, coconut-engorged belly bomb. That’s nothing like the original French macaron. Ask for a macaron in Paris and you’ll get an assemblage of wonderfully light almond-based meringue cookies sandwiching a creamy filling. This recipe goes back to the delightfully sinful French roots, but modified it so that you only have to say one Hail Mary, not three, as penance. It uses just a bit of turbinado sugar instead of a heap of the refined white variety, along with almonds, cinnamon, and allspice. (As a bonus, allspice is excellent if you’re feeling bloated, so here’s a case where a little dessert might be called for after a big meal.) I think of this as macaroon reductionism: everything except the flavor has been scaled down, and takes just one or two of these diminutive cookies to leave you feeling pleasantly satiated. There’s really no sin in that.

1 cup almond flour
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 whole almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Put the egg whites in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork to make them easier to measure and pour. Add 3 tablespoons of the egg whites, the almond extract, and the vanilla to the almond mixture and stir with a spatula. The texture should be wet and soft, but stiff enough to form into a ball between wet hands. If the dough feels too stiff, add a bit more egg white.

Using wet palms and fingers, roll a scant teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls. Put them on the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and flatten slightly with damp finger. Press an almond or a few slivered almonds onto the top of each cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops are dry and a very pale golden brown. Peek at the bottoms; they should be a golden brown. Immediately transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Note: These treats are best when they’re freshly made, though they do freeze and reheat well. Just refresh them in a 300ºF oven for a few minutes after thawing.

Reprinted with permission from The Longevity Kitchen: Satisfying Big-Flavor Recipes Featuring the Top 16 Age-Busting Power Foods. Copyright © 2013 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.