Almond Paste Recipes

Steps:

• Place almonds in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, egg white, extract and salt; cover and process until smooth., Divide almond paste into 1/2-cup portions; place in airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat together butter, flour, oil, first cup of sugar, baking powder, and first round of eggs until smooth and set aside.
• Beat together the almond paste, second cup of sugar, second round of eggs and almond flavoring until smooth.
• Combine both mixtures.
• Grease a 9x13" pan (Pam is fine), and evenly pour in mixture.
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place the sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a strong boil. Place the almonds in the food processor and grind until coarse. Remove the boiling sugar from the heat and pour over the coarse almonds. Blend until smooth. This may take 10 minutes or more, depending on the strength of the food processor. Remember, food processors are not usually strong enough to yield the same consistency as the almond paste that you can buy. If your mixture is too thick and the food processor is straining, you can add a little Kirsch or simple syrup to the processor. Add the liquid slowly and stop when the processor is moving more freely. The quality of almond paste is determined by how smooth the consistency is.
• Wrap the almond paste in plastic wrap and allow it to cool. When you are ready to use it, knead in the butter. The butter makes it smooth and not so sticky.

Steps:

• Force blanched almonds through fine blade of food chopper 4x or whirl in electric blender. Add lemon juice.
• Cook water and sugar until candy thermometer registers 240*F or until a small amount of mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball. Add to ground almonds. Mix well. When cool enough to handle, knead until smooth. Cool.
• Pack in a jar, cover & store in refrigerator for at least 1 week to ripen. Makes about 2 pounds.
• NOTE: If almond paste is too stiff to handle after storage, place in top part of double boiler and heat over hot, NOT boiling, water until sufficiently soft to handle. Use in cookies, coffee cakes or in other pastries and desserts.

Steps:

• Grind almonds in a blender. Thoroughly mix in confectioners sugar. Beat egg whites slightly, then stir into the almond mixture. Add almond extract or rosewater (see Cook's Note), using your hands to blend the heavy mixture.
• Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine powder, approximately 2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar and blend well. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and with a wooden spoon blend in the egg whites until smooth. On a flat surface lightly dusted with confectioners sugar, roll out the almond paste into a 14" long x 1" round log. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When rested, cut the log in two. On a smooth clean surface, roll out each piece to double its length, approximately 20 inches. Flatten each roll with your fingertips. Using a knife or a metal spatula, score the tops of the logs with crisscross marks. Coil each log and place on a serving plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can store in a closed container in the refrigerator for one week.

Steps:

• Grind your almonds.
• In the second grinding add the sugar.
• Gradually add your egg white working the mixture vigorously.
• Use dough hook in mixer or knead on a pastry board.
• The mixture should be firm& smooth when ready.

Steps:

• If using optional amaretto, soak cherries in amaretto for 15-20 minutes before beginning.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F Stack two baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the almond paste and then the butter directly into the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter, cut the almond paste and the butter into the dry ingredients until a few pea-sized lumps remain. Stir in the cherries or mini chocolate chips. (If using amaretto, drain cherries before adding. Drink or discard amaretto.).
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and both extracts. With a fork, gradually stir enough of the liquid into the dry mixture until the mixture just starts to come together, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the liquid to brush the tops of the scones.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and very gently pat into an 8-inch round about 1 1/2 inches high. Using a chef's knife or bench scraper. cut the dough round into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the baking sheet, spacing the scones at least 1 inch apart. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg-cream mixture and sprinkle liberally with sugar.
• Bake in the top third of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve warm.