Croquants with extra almonds and extracts Recipe
David Lebovitz’s new book, Ready for Dessert, features these unsung heroes of the cookie world. We say unsung because we had never heard of or seen them before—yet they are worthy of fame and notoriety. Lebovitz’s friend Dorie Greenspan told us we had to try these crunchy almond and egg white cookies. She was right. They’re delicious, addictive, and incredibly easy to make—another fun cookie to make with kids.
Game plan: The batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. Let it come to room temperature before spooning and baking.
This pastry was featured as part of our Parisian Sweets photo gallery.
NOTES: I’m altering the ingredients slightly, to suit my preference for (1) more nuts and (2) more flavour. I found it odd that the original recipe did not call for vanilla or almond extracts, so I am going to try adding a little bit of both.
- 1.5 cups whole blanched almonds, toasted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup + 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. (Do not use silicon mats—the cookies will not crisp as nicely—or buttered baking sheets, as the cookies will spread too thinly; parchment is key.)
- Coarsely chop the almonds into halves or thirds; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour, then add the egg whites and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in the almonds.
- Drop level teaspoon measurements of batter at least 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, about 20 per sheet.
- Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom and bake until the cookies are golden brown in color, about 5 to 6 minutes more. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. Store the baked croquants in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Member recipes are not tested by the CHOW food team.
