16 oz. almond paste

1/2 + 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 rounded tablespoons cornstarch

egg whites from 4 large eggs

3/4 pounds blanched, slivered/sliced almonds (approximately; I don't actually measure)

Grate the almond paste with the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Throw in the rest of the ingredients except for the slivered almonds; mix on low speed until well combined.

Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of sliced almonds and roll to coat (dough will be *very* sticky).

Place the balls on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper and cover with saran wrap. Let the dough balls sit out on the countertop for 1-3 hours, until they dry out a bit.

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the cookies on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets for for 12-15 minutes, until puffed and light golden brown.

I have tried making these vegan using aquafaba in place of the egg whites. They Did Not Work (dough looked good when raw, but spread out into a liquid puddle when baked). If anyone comes up with a way to make these vegan, let me know!

I made these sugar-free for the first time this year. I made my own almond paste (sugar-free), and then made the cookies pretty much the same, using Splenda in place of the granulated sugar and Swerve confectioner's sugar in place of the confectioner's sugar (1-to-1 ratio).

For the ale, I make a double batch of this recipes (each batch makes a little over three dozen cookies, if you make them reasonably small).

Rachel Ray.com

Yield: 3 dozen large cookies