Orange and Nutmeg Spiced Amaretti Cookies {Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free}

These cookies are bomb. I have no eloquent intro for them. No poetic prose or fancy phrases. Nothing more needs to be said about these little guys except that they are awesome. They are mini sandwich cookies that are crispy on the outside, perfectly chewy on the inside and filled with a chocolate orange peel ganache. Sound fancy? Yup. Hard to make? Nope. All you need is a food processor, an oven and your regular baking supplies! These cookies have become a staple in my house over the past month, gracing the table at gatherings and filling cookie tins galore. Hopefully they become a favourite amongst your friends too!

Orange and Nutmeg Spiced Amaretti Cookies

Makes 80 cookies, 40 sandwiches

Cookies:
1/2 cup homemade almond paste (click here for recipe!)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 egg white at room temperature
3 tbs coconut palm sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbs orange and or lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla

Ganache:
4 oz organic 70% orange chocolate,
1 tbs grass-fed butter
orange zest
chopped slivered almonds, optional




Method

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a food processor, combine almond paste and flour and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and combined. Add palm sugar, zest spices and salt. Pulse a couple seconds. Add in egg white and let mixture combine until a smooth paste forms. Grab a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip or a sturdy ziploc bag if you don't have any fancy baking supplies. Make tiny, 1/2 inch little circles on a lined baking sheet or silpat. Wet your fingers and pat down any little peaks Bake for 6-7 minutes or until the edges have turned golden. Let sit on the cookies sheet for a minute or two then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.


For the ganache:


Fill a saucepan halfway with water. Using the double boiler method melt the chocolate and butter until combined. Remove from heat and stir in orange zest. Find matching cookies and fill cookies with ganache. Let set on parchment until the chocolate is dry or for quick setting, place them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.