Marzipan Cookies

For the marzipan: 

•2 1/4 c. almond meal (finely ground almonds) - use blanched almonds for the whitest result

•1 c. powdered sugar

•1 c. superfine sugar

•1 t. lemon juice (pretty sure I used a tablespoon by accident...)

•1/2 t. or more almond extract (I can never have too much almond extract)

•1 egg, beaten

Combine almond meal and powdered and superfine sugars together in a bowl and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix until a dough forms. Taste to see if you added enough almond extract. Using about a tablespoon of dough, roll dough into balls.

For the Cookie Batter Topping: 

•1/2 c. butter, room temperature

•1/2 c. granulated sugar

•2 T. milk

•1/2 t. vanilla extract

•1 egg

•2 egg whites

•1 1/2 c. ap flour

•1/2 t. baking soda

•1/2 t. baking powder

•pinch of salt

•1 t. "mixed sweet spice", I used combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves

Preheat oven to 350. 

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add milk, vanilla, and whole egg and blend until well combined. 

Sift flour together with baking soda, baking powder, salt and sweet spice. Add to butter mixture and mix briefly to combine. 

Beat egg whites until frothy, but not forming peaks. Add into batter, mixing until well combined. (Try and be gentle, and not over beat.) Add a little additional milk if batter seems too dry. It will be sticky and rather thick. 

To make the cookies, top a marzipan ball with a little "hat" of batter. It may take a few tries to get your method down, but I smashed the balls down slightly so there was a flat base that wouldn't topple over the weight of the "hats" (see photos). Leave plenty of space for expansion between cookies. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. 

http://rcakewalk.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-baking.html