Cinnamon Amaretti

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 lb caster sugar, unsifted
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 lb blanched almond, finely grounded
• 3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate

Recipe

• 1 beat egg and salt slightly with a hand held mixer. add caster sugar and beat until creamy and semi-stiff.
• 2 add cinnamon, amaretto liqueur and finely grounded almonds and mix using the dough hook. the dough will be firm and sticky.
• 3 line baking tray with parchment paper.
• 4 fill the dough into an icing back and pipe little spots of about 1 inch in diameter and about 1 inch in height onto the baking paper at intervals of about 1.5 inches.
• 5 let the little dough spots dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour (but no longer than 2 hours). the dough should be dry outside and not sticky anymore when you touch it.
• 6 meanwhile preheat oven (300 f, 150 c).
• 7 bake the amaretti in lower third of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. they should be lightly browned.
• 8 let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
• 9 meanwhile melt semisweet chocolate. put chocolate into a small bowl and let the chocolate melt over hot water.
• 10 dip the bottom of the amaretti into the melted chocolate and strip off excess chocolate at the rim of bowl.
• 11 place amaretti bottom up on a cooling rack until chocolate is dry.
• 12 store the cinnamon amaretti between layers of parchment papers in air tight container. you can store them dry at room temperature for about 4 weeks (if they get that old).
• 13 note: time to make includes 2 hours to dry the cookies at room temperature. cooking time is given for one baking tray.