Love it or hate it, we all have to make decisions.
Big ones, small ones. Do I marry him? Do I eat a muffin or drink a smoothie for breakfast?
Thankfully, there are many decisions that were easy for me to make.
Marrying my husband was one of them. Moving to Denver was another. Baking a batch of almond macaroons? A no-brainer.
But when it comes to travel, I bask in indecision. Almost up to the moment the plane leaves the ground, I wonder if I'm making the right choice...if this is a trip I should be sacrificing time, safety and money for.
Make the wintry trek with my 200,000 miles + car or buy a pair of expensive plane tickets.
Back and forth, I went. Weighing the benefits of driving against the benefits of flying, opening my bank account, and then remembering how scary it can be when a car veers out of control on ice.
We currently have a pair of tickets on hold...twelve more hours of indecision...but I have a good feeling that the cards are stacking up on the side of flying. No amount of money is worth risking your safety (I just need to tell this to myself again and again).
One of the ways I cope with indecision is to bake. Because baking? Well, baking is something I'll never say "no" to.
These almond macaroons are perfect with a cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate. They don't call for any flour. Just powdered sugar, almond paste, an egg white, sea salt and vanilla. They're chewy and intensely flavored. They're simple yet elegant. We all need more cookie recipes like this, I think.
I've made this recipe twice in two weeks! They are too good not to make again...and the batches are relatively small (compared to most cookie recipes).
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*From Martha Stewart
*Yields about 9 macaroons
4 ounces almond paste (about 6 TBSP)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 large egg white
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 300 degrees Farenheit. Cream together almond paste, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until crumbly. Add egg white and vanilla. Cream until thickened, about 3 minutes.
2. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Place two to three sliced almonds on each mound of dough. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheet (about 20-25 minutes). Cookies can be stored for 3 days (we stretched it to four and they still tasted good!)
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores