Almond Pastry or “Reale”

INGREDIENTS

• 200 g of peeled almonds;
• 150 g sugar;
• 1 tablespoon of acacia honey;
• 3 drops of bitter almond flavoring;
• 2 egg whites;
• Candied cherries;
• Whole shelled almonds

STEP

1. In a food processor, blend the almonds and sugar together until you get a very fine flour;
2. Take a bowl, pour in the chopped almonds with the sugar, add the unwhipped egg whites, the drops of bitter almond flavouring, the spoonful of honey and mix everything well until the mixture is nice and firm and compact;
3. Take a pastry bag with a star-shaped nozzle and form the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper:
4. Decorate each almond paste cookie with half a cherry or other candied fruit, or with an almond;
5. Let the sweets, thus composed, rest in a cool place for the whole night or for at least 10 hours, the time necessary for the pastries to dry and not lose their shape during cooking;
6. The next morning, preheat the oven to 180 degrees in “static mode” and cook the pastries for approximately 12 minutes, until they are lightly golden;
7. Let it cool, transfer it to a nice serving dish and serve with a hot coffee or tea.
8. They are fabulous!!