recipe: almond cookies

i have had a major thang for almond cookies lately. ever since having them from Daily Planet in Poughkeepsie, NY, i've been mildly obsessed. that obsession was renewed when i tried the Almond Pillow cookies from Fresh Market - enough to almost replace the italian sugar cookie which currently holds my favorite cookie ranking. MMMMM.

after seeing almond paste for sale in a specialty shop (maybe Fresh Market?), it was go-time to finally make them for T-day. i used a recipe from Pegasus Legend - What's Cookin with a slight tweak, and was not disappointed. not only that, but they are shockingly EASY to make. aaah. the only downside is that they are pretty expensive to make, otherwise... PERFECT. love. 

ingredients list:  
- 8 oz almond paste
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup confectionary sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup silvered almonds (roughly)

to make: preheat oven to 300F degrees. mix together all ingredients except the silvered almonds, and stir until fully incorporated. take rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll into the silvered almonds. drop the almond covered balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  

bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven, until bottoms appear slightly golden. when finished baking, remove to a wired rack immediately. sprinkle with additional confectioners sugar if desired.