These incredibly almondy morsels are ideal for accompanying a liqueur coffee.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 200 grams butter
• 150 grams marzipan, softened
• few drops of almond essence
• 2 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ cup ground almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease 1-2 baking trays or line with baking paper.
2. Beat the caster sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and creamy. Beat in the marzipan and almond essence.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir into the creamed mixture with the ground almonds.
4. Place small dessertspoonfuls of mixture onto the prepared trays. They will not spread very much , so can be placed reasonably close together. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until they are firm to the touch and lightly browned. Transfer to a cake rack to cool.
5. Store in an airtight container and, if wished, dust well with icing sugar when serving.

Cooks Tips

- These are particularly nice when served warm. Reheat them in the oven at 160ºC for 4-5 minutes if wished. - Use good quality marzipan. Do not use almond-flavoured icing as this will dissolve when cooking, causing the biscuits to fail.