Almond macaroons

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put the ground almonds and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites lightly, just until they are foamy, and add them to the almond and sugar mixture. Stir everything together well to combine into a sticky mixture.

3. Time now to shape your macaroons. Keep a bowl of clean water next to you and use it to lightly wet your hands as you go. Dip your fingers into the water and wet your hands a little. Now roll a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into a ball between your palms.

4. Put it onto a non-stick baking tray and flatten it slightly to from a thick disc. Repeat until you have used all the mixture, you will get about 20 macaroons form this recipe.

5. Finally, press a whole blanched almond or some flaked almonds into the top of each little disc. I like to a top half of mine with a whole almond and the rest with flaked almonds as I think the mix of both looks lovely.

6. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them for the last few minutes, they are done when they are just starting to turn golden brown at the edges.

7. Do not over bake them, you want them to be soft and chewy in the centre. When they are done, remove from the oven and allow them cool on a wire rack.

8. Store in an airtight container once cooled and they will keep for a week or so.
   
   Photography by Bríd O'Donovan