These are a classic Italian cookie that taste a lot like Pignoli Cookies which often contain almond paste, another classic and loved cookie. Italian families are known for serving mile-high mounds of delicious cookies at Christmastime.  If you are Italian, you and your family may still keep this tradition going. It’s a delicious tradition! One tip I have for holiday baking is to bake a month in advance and freeze the cookies. It saves so much time. Here are the simple directions for this delicious gluten-free cookie that is chewy and oh so tasty!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, mash up the almond paste with a fork. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt and mix on medium speed until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. By hand is fine, unless you have a hand mixer, that is a little easier.

Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the cookie batter until well combined. Don’t overmix.

Add the batter to a piping bag with a star tip.

Pipe 2 full but small circles starting from the outside working your way inward. End in the center by gently pressing down and then quickly pulling up the star tip. They should be no more than 2 inches wide once piped. Press in halved cherries or 1 almond in the center of the cookie. Feel free to roll the dough into balls in lieu of piping, then press in the cherry or almond. Alternatively, use different piping tips and exclude the cherry and almonds altogether.

Bake about 10-12 minutes. You don’t want these to brown to much. They should be very chewy.

Store in the freezer or in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 5 days.