These chewy almond cookies are the perfect little treats that are just as indulgent as they are easy to make..And, they are gluten-free! With Christmas right around the corner, there can’t possibly be a better time to enjoy these tasty treats with a hot cup of coffee or hot cocoa!

Ingredients (serves 16)

• 300g store-bought ground almonds; you could grind whole blanched almonds using a food processor instead.
• 3 medium egg whites (about 105-110 grams)
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 lemon or orange, zest only; you could use 1/8 tsp of cinnamon powder or mixed spice instead
• Icing sugar for rolling
• 16 whole almonds or 1/2 cup of flaked almond to garnish

Method

• Grind 300 grams of whole almonds if using and preheat the oven to 160°C fan.
• Add the caster sugar, and lemon/orange zest to your ground almonds and mix well to combine.
• Whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak and then mix in the ground almonds, orange/lemon zest and sugar until you are left with a uniform dough.
• Place the cookie dough over some icing sugar and portion the mix equally into 16 balls.
• Roll them in icing sugar until coated generously and arrange on parchment lined baking sheet leaving enough space in between to allow them to expand a little.
• Gently press a whole almond onto each cookie; alternatively, decorate with flaked almonds by pressing gently to ensure that they stick..
• Bake for 18-22 minutes until they are golden, cracked and come off the parchment paper with much ease..
• Leave them to cool completely before placing them away in an air-tight container and enjoy within a week..