Tasty treats for the holidays

This is an old recipe of mine for Macaroons, they are not the same as the delicious iconic Macaroons from the very famous Laduree, but they are equally delicious and slightly chewy...

Recipe:

200g Ground almonds

250g sugar

2ml vanilla essence

2 egg whites

Water for brushing

Whole almonds for decoration

Mix the almonds, sugar and essence together.  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks.  Mix with the almond mixture until thoroughy blended.  You should be able to make small balls and place on a  tray lined with baking parchment.  Flatten the macaroons slightly and place a whole almond in the middle.  Brush with water.  Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10-15 minutes until golden.

I think a good expresso would go down well with these -enjoy!