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

1/2 cup egg whites

3/4 pounds blanched, slivered/sliced almonds

Grate the almond paste with the large holes of a box grater.

Mix the sugars and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Add the grated almond paste to the sugar mixture. Mix until fine granules form (you can also do this in a mixer on low).

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a fork until frothy, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg whites and salt to the sugar/almond paste mixture and mix to combine.

Drop the dough by teaspoonfulls 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. 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. I upped the sugar amounts a little bit (used ~1 and 1/2 times the sugar) because the artificial sugars often “bake out” (even when the manufacturer swears they don't) but I don't think it was necessary – they were actually a bit sweet for my taste. I will try doing the sugar 1-to-1 next time and see how that goes.

Rachel Ray.com

Yield: 3 dozen large cookies