12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Almond-Cherry Rosettes

Like Mostaccioli, these cookies are an Italian holiday standard in my family.  I never actually saw my grandmother make them, we always bought them from a Polish bakery that specialized in Italian cookies (weird, right?) when we visited my dad’s family in upstate New York.  My aunt sends us a big box every year in our Christmas package and they disappear within a couple of days. 

You really need a cookie press to get the authentic shape of these cookies (rosettes), but I don’t have a cookie press, nor do I expect you to have one, so I simply roll the dough into balls, flatten them slightly, and press the cherry in the middle.  They still taste good and that’s all that really matters with us.

Almond-Cherry Rosettes – makes about 2½ dozen

½ cup sugar

½ cup powdered sugar

½ cup flour

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste

2 egg whites

Candied cheery halves or maraschino cherries, halved

Preheat oven to 300°.  Prepare baking sheets.

Sift together both sugars, flour, and salt and set aside.  Break the almond paste up into small pieces using a fork.  Put into a mixing bowl and add egg whites.  Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth (2-4 minutes).  Mix in flour mixture.  If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (you may add as much as an additional ¼ of a cup). 

Roll the dough into small balls, about 1.5 inches wide.  Lightly press the cookies down with your fingers.  Top with a cherry half.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.  

Photo Credit

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.