Almond biscuits and merletti

Almond biscuits

Refine together sugar and almonds, until a thin mixture is obtained. Blend in the mixer with honey, eggs, egg whites and vanilla, but avoid working it too much. Make small balls with the knead obtained, coat/cover them with the egg whites and pass them through the icing sugar. Cook in the oven at 190°C for about 12 minutes, at close valve.

Almond Merlettos
Edge

Melt the butter, mix with the icing sugar and gradually combine the egg whites. When you have obtained a homogeneous knead, add the flour.

Inside

Combine the dusts, add the melted butter, the Calvados wine and the almond leaves. Let it rest for about ½ hour.
Assembly
Place on a small mat some 8cm-wide discs, and insert in each of them the dough for the edge with a 5cm-wide opening and then get on with the crumbly inside, with a quantity needed to make a merletto. Put in the oven at 190°-200°C. As soon as the biscuits present a homogeneous browning, take them off the oven and slightly fold them in the shape of small tiles.   

Salvatore Cappello – Palermo
Photo by Salvatore Farina