Blood Orange Macaroons

adapted from 101cookbooks.com ^[1]

Heidi Swanson’s recipe called for limoncello, which I happen to have on hand. Lemon juice is a fine substitute — I’ve made them both ways.

1 large egg white
14 oz almond paste (make sure you purchase paste and not marzipan)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus extra for surface and coating
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 tablespoon limoncello (or freshly squeezed lemon juice or additional blood orange juice)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Line one half sheet or two smaller baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside. Beat the egg white, the almond paste, confectioners’ sugar, and almond extract together, until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Add the zests, blood orange juice, limoncello and salt and beat until combined, another 30 seconds.

Place some extra confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. Spread a generous handful of confectioners’ sugar over a clean surface, then turn out the dough onto it. Shape and roll the dough into two 3/4-inch thick logs, roughly 18 inches long. Cut each log into 1″ wide pieces. Dip each piece into the sugar bowl, coating it thoroughly.

Transfer the macaroons to the prepared baking sheet(s). These cookies will not spread during baking, so you can arrange them very closely together. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C degrees. Use three fingers to gently pinch each piece of dough to form an irregular pyramid shape, or leave them pillow shaped. Bake until pale golden, 15-17 minutes. Transfer the cookies from the baking sheet(s) to wire racks, and let cool completely. These cookies keep well in an air-tight container for a week.

Makes 3 dozen two-bite cookies.