The rustic almond pastries, delightful almond treats that will win you over with the first bite.
The rustic version of the pastries is characterized by the fact that the dough is not made with almond flour, which results in a smooth and homogeneous texture, but with coarsely chopped almonds, giving a unique texture when eaten.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Rustic Almond Pastries:
- 14 oz whole almonds
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp acacia honey
- 1/2 lemon or orange (grated zest)
- 1 bitter almond
- as needed whole toasted almonds
- as needed pistachio granules
- as needed candied cherries
- as needed orange zest
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools for Rustic Almond Pastries:
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking tray
Steps for the preparation and baking of almond pastries:
Place the almonds in the mixer and blend them, CAREFUL not to blend them finely to obtain almond flour but they should still have small pieces, hence the name rustic pastries because if finely blended you get the classic almond pastries or pinches.
Transfer the almonds to a large bowl, add the slightly beaten egg whites, acacia honey, and the grated zest of lemon or orange, mix well to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to allow the mixture to firm up.
After this time, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and take small pieces of dough, roll them in powdered sugar and shape them into sticks or horseshoes or small pinches.
Decorate some with whole almonds, others with pistachio granules, and others you can decorate with orange zest or candied cherries.
Place the rustic pastries on the baking tray previously lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between them.
Place in the refrigerator for 12 hours before baking them.
Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 10 minutes, until golden.
Allow the pastries to cool and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Tips:
The dough is not as smooth as that made with almond flour, and the pieces are not smooth and homogeneous, but it is normal for them to be this way.
