Almond Cookies

The Cook & Kitchen Staff are offering you 31-days of Recipe-a-
Day~Light. That’s right, we’re lightening up the fare without
lightening up the flavor of some of your favorite recipes.

Today’s recipe is for a dessert or after-school snack. If you savor
the flavor of almonds, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy today’s
recipe. Each cookie contains about 65 calories, with only 0.3 grams
of saturated fat, so prepare them today and enjoy a sweet treat
that’s almost good for you!

Spread the almonds on a pie plate or baking pan and roast at 350-F
degrees for about 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool.
Finely chop the toasted almonds in a food processor and reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sifted flour, lemon zest,
baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and chopped almonds.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until
creamy and well blended. Add oil, Marsala, vanilla and almond
extracts, and whisk the mixture again. Add the wet ingredients to the
dry and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the currants and stir with a
wooden spoon until just combined.

Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to
baking (overnight refrigeration is recommended).

Pre-heat oven to 350-F degrees and lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with
non-stick oil.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and, working on a lightly
floured surface, roll each portion into a thick log, about 8 inches
long. With a sharp knife, cut each log into 12 equal pieces. Roll
each piece into a rope about 5 inches long. Cross the ends of each
rope to form a ring and place the cookie rings about a half- inch
apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the rolling and shaping
process with the remaining cookie dough.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with the water to blend. Brush the
glaze lightly over the top of each cookie. Bake the cookies, one
sheet at a time, for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool
on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.