Nov 20, 2011
I am rating this very high - the cookies were fantastic. I was a little nervous to make them after reading several comments about how sticky and hard to work with the dough is. I, however, did NOT have this problem at all.
I used ground almond from the bulk barn, and didn't have any lemon zest so I just skipped that part. I added 1/4 tsp of cloves and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla.
I whipped my egg whites (2 large eggs worth) nice and fluffy for several minutes in my mixer. I added the sugar gradually, and it made this very gooey marshmallow type of stuff. I folded it into the almond/spice mixture and it was pretty crumbly looking. I popped it into the fridge while I waited for the oven and prepped my pans. (max 5 minutes).
I found the dough easy to work with if you knead it with your hands first. I rolled it between two sheets of parchment and cut out my stars (2 sizes). The meringue glaze is very thick, but easy to paint on with a pastry brush.
The cookies baked for 9-11 minutes, until the glaze JUST started to brown on the points of the stars. They sat on the pans for a minute or two, then went onto my cooling racks. When warm, they're crispy on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside. I hope they stay this delicious even after they cool.
FANTASTIC recipe - thank you.
—HobbyBaker
