From Linda Bladholm’s A Fork on the Road

Cookie

Greek Almond Drops (Amigthalota)

These sweet drops, adapted from “The Complete Middle East Cookbook” by Tess Mallos (Tuttle, 1999), can be shaped as a pear with a clove as the stem.

3 cups ground almonds

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 drops almond extract

Blend ground almonds with 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in egg whites, lemon zest and almond extract. Mix by hand into a firm dough.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With oiled hands, form dough into walnut-size balls. Bake about 20 minutes, until set and lightly browned.

Dip each warm cooking into some of the remaining confectioners’ sugar, and set aside to cool. Pour half the remaining sugar into an airtight container and arrange the drops in several layers. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar over them. Makes 30 cookies.

Per cookie: 96 calories (48 percent from fat), 5.3 g fat (0.4 g saturated, 3.3 g monounsaturated), 0 cholesterol, 2.5 g protein, 10.6 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, 4 mg sodium.