Ingredients
BLANCHED ALMONDS
250 grams
Icing SUGAR
250 grams
ALBUM
70 grams
LEMON
1
POWDERED SUGAR
qb
Pinches of almond paste are delicious and irresistible cookies, typical of Sicilian pastries. They are called that precisely because they are “pinched” before cooking, to obtain the typical irregular shape; They are prepared with a few simple ingredients and are very easy to make. However, as with classic almond pastries, the rest time in the refrigerator is essential so that they have the right consistency and are even tastier. Discover how to make them by following our recipe step by step and enjoy them as a snack, with a good tea or as a delicious end to the meal, on the occasion of a special dinner with guests.

How to prepare pinches of almond paste

Step 1
Collect the almonds in a bowl, then add the sugar.
1
and blend everything with a kitchen blender until obtaining a very fine powder.

Step 2
Season with lemon zest
2
.

Step 3
Add the egg whites
3
and mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.

Step 4
Grease your hands with a little oil, take small amounts of dough (about 30 g) and form into balls.
4
.

Step 5
Soak the balls in icing sugar
5
and let them rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Step 6
Once the resting time has passed, we place the almond balls on a baking tray, lined with a sheet of baking paper, and “pinch” them with our fingers giving them their characteristic shape.
6
. Bake at 180°C and cook for about 12 minutes.

Step 7
Once cooked, remove the pinches from the oven and let them cool. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve.
7
.

Tip
With the indicated doses you will obtain approximately 20 almond paste cookies.

Since you are using the outer peel, be sure to buy lemons that are organic and without chemical treatments. Grate the skin with the appropriate grater, being careful not to remove the white part, responsible for the bitter aftertaste. If you want, you can replace the lemon with another citrus fruit, such as orange or tangerine.

You can also season the dough of your skewers with vanilla or ground cinnamon.

To avoid the risk of them crushing excessively during cooking, carefully respect the rest times in the refrigerator (for greater safety, you can also extend them by a few hours).

If you love desserts with almonds, also try sweets with almonds and orange and carrot and almond cake.

storage
Almond pinches are perfectly preserved for a couple of days, in a special airtight container, in a cool, dry place.