Pesach Cookies

Here are two of my favorite Passover cookie recipes. Gorgeous, delicious and full of healthy almonds.

Sienna Macaroons (Parve)

Plan ahead before you make these cookies, as they need to sit overnight (or 8-10 hours) before baking.

2 ¼ cups blanched almonds

¾ cup sugar, divided

2 egg whites

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons lemon zest

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 packet vanilla sugar)

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Powdered sugar

Put the almonds in the bowl of a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Process until finely ground. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until they are stiff and dry. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar.

Fold in the lemon zest, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the ground almonds and mix well. The mixture should be firm.

Put some powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Coat your hands with the sugar and shape the dough into small diamonds (about 1 x 1 ½ inches; 2.5 x 4 cm). Use the powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking trays. Let them sit at room temperature overnight, or about 8 to 10 hours.

Preheat the oven to 250 F (120 C). Bake the cookies for 20-30 minutes, until they are slightly golden and cracked. Cool them completely on a baking rack. Dust them with powdered sugar before serving.

Makes about 36 cookies

Faux Florentine Cookies (Parve)

2 ¾ cups sliced almonds

1 cup powdered sugar

2 egg whites

Finely grated zest of one orange

Parve chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray the paper with non-stick baking spray.

In a medium size bowl, gently combine the almonds, sugar, egg whites and orange zest.

Drop scant tablespoons of the mixture on the baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between each one. Dip your fingers in water and flatten each cookie into a very thin disc. It should be as flat as possible, but still cohesive. Each cookie will be about 2 ½ inches (6 cm) wide.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before carefully removing each cookie with a spatula.

For chocolate coated cookies, gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Brush one side of each cooled cookie with the warm chocolate. Cool them on a rack, chocolate side up, until the chocolate hardens.

Store these cookies in an air-tight container.

Makes about 40 small cookies