FOOD Almond Marzipan Cookies

ALMOND MARZIPAN COOKIES

The Sephardic Spice Girls, Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff, have been friends since high school. They are passionate about healthy food and happy living. Their goal is to preserve Sephardic and Mizrahi recipes and the Moroccan and Iraqi recipes of their mothers and grandmothers. In their weekly food column in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal they share recipes, personal anecdotes and Jewish history. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. They run community cooking classes and challah bakes. Follow them on Instagram, @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. You can find all their recipes on their website at sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.

This macaroon recipe from the Iraqi kitchen is perfect for Passover and all year round. Made with almond flour, egg whites and coconut sugar and subtly spiced with cardamom and cinnamon, these are the perfect sweet treat. Based on Tikva Iny’s recipe, these are naturally gluten free.

Almond Marzipan Cookies

Ingredients 3 eggs, separated (egg whites only) 1 cup coconut sugar 3 cups almond flour 1 teaspoon cardamom 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon rose water or 2 tablespoons almond extract

This macaroon recipe from the Iraqi kitchen is perfect for Passover and all year round.

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl

3. Using a fork, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat by hand until the sugar has dissolved.

4. Add the almond flour, cardamom and cinnamon and mix well. Add the rose water or almond extract and mix well.

5. Make walnut size balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving space between each ball.

6. Place a whole peeled almond on top of each macaroon and press down.

7. Bake until the macaroons turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Join Sharsheret in the Kitchen on Monday, April 4 at 11 a.m. PDT as the Sephardic Spice Girls serve up some simple, flavorful, perfect for Passover recipes. This program is part of the “Sharsheret in the Kitchen” series, bringing nutritious and delicious kosher ideas to empower all of us at risk for breast and ovarian cancer to make healthier diet choices thanks to a generous grant by CedarsSinai. Register at https://link.sharsheret.org/ SITKSephardicSpiceGirls.

Sharsheret, a non-profit organization, is the Jewish breast cancer and ovarian cancer community. If you or someone you love has been impacted by breast or ovarian cancer, or has elevated genetic risk, contact Sharsheret for free support and resources. For more info, visit sharsheret.org or call (866) 474-2774.