For Sweet Pastry recipe click here

Ingredients for the filling

• 250g pure ground almonds
• 200g sugar
• 1 egg whites
• almond essence
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Rolling pin
• Figolli/Cookie cutters
• Pastry brush
• Baking paper

Method

1. Pre  heat oven gas mark 4-5
2. Mix together almonds and sugar. Beat well the egg whites and add to almond/sugar mix. Combine well together.
3. Add almond essence and add a tiny bit of water if mixture is too hard.
4. Dust your kitchen top and rolling pin with flour so when opening the dough it won’t stick.
5. Prepare figolli cutters and cut through the dough 2 times of the same shape.
6. Paste one of the shapes with the almond mixture leaving the edges empty and brush some water so when placing the other shape on top it will stick properly and no filling will come out when cooking.
7. Place in oven and bake for around 30 mins.
8. When ready, leave to cool completely and decorate with chocolate or icing. Best is to decorate the next day.

If you have some filling left, make use of it and pipe it up on a lined baking dish or some rice paper. Put an almond on top and bake for around 15mins on gas mark 4.