As Chewy As Can Be!
Ok.
First, this is the most chewy cookies I’ve ever tasted in my life. I mean good-chewy! Very interesting texture as well, because it had crispy exterior, while boasting this wonderful soft grainy interior that feels surprisingly good to chew.
Second, it tasted so good, thanks to ground almond. If you’re a sweet-tooth, this is for you. If you don’t fancy cardamom, or any spices, simply ignore it. Me, a spice freak, loved the cardamom so much. In fact, I think it’s the “it” factor that made you go “mmm”. Note: use green cardamom, a.k.a. Indian cardamom. Not the white ones, a.k.a. Arabian cardamom. Ground it with mortar and pestle, a.k.a. your good old cobek.
Third, it freezes wonderfully. So you can make batches of them now, while you still have time and energy, and freeze them for Idul Fitri or whenever. Or keep them in stock for your everyday craving (true story).
Ultimately, fourth, this is dead-easy to make. A child can even bake it with eyes closed, I’m tellin’ ya.
Nigella’s Chewy Cardamom Macaroons
Modified by Riana
200g ground almonds
200g caster sugar (I reduced it to 160 g)
1/4 teaspoon finely ground cardamom (the green one, freshly grounded)
2 egg whites
1-2 tablespoons rosewater (nope, didn’t use it. But it’s nice to try it for once.)
approx 25g blanched almonds, 28 in number
(didn’t use either. I would though, if only my wallet allowed me to.)
How-to:
- Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Mix together the ground almonds, sugar, ground cardamom and egg whites and knead with your hands, or use the flat beater in a freestanding mixer until you have a coherent paste (I used the whisk in my electric mixer, and it turned out fine). This is thick, and needs to be, so the mixer is the best bet.
- Sprinkle some rose water onto your hands (if using, if not, just use regular water) and, thus scented and dampened it, form little balls, about the size of smallish walnuts - out of the grainy thick paste.
- As you put them on the lined baking sheet - about 3cm apart - squish them down slightly so they are no longer balls but fat patties. Stud the center of each disc with a blanched almond (I decorated the cookies with cardamom seeds) and bake for 10-12 minutes. They will still be pretty pale when cooked but if they are beginning to turn golden at the edges, take them out of the oven and, lifting each one carefully with a spatula or fish slice, let them cool on a baking sheet.
- When cooled, store in an airtight container. You can make them ahead of time, open-freeze on a sheet for an hour, then fill plastic bags with them and keep them stashed in the deep freezer. They probably don’t need more than an hour to defrost at room temperature and be ready for the table.
Thanks, Nigella. When will you be a doll and sending me your pretty red ceramic measuring cups?
Comment by Vania — May 26, 2008 @ 10:03 am
Mbak akhirnya ada postingan baru. Kangeeen!
)
Seneng bacanya. Kapan2 dakuw cuba ah (kalo lg rajin
Mbak Ri, suka cardamom tea gak? Di sini popular banget, panggilannya ‘elaichi tea’.
Green Cardamom punya ’sweet flavour’ & ‘pungent aroma’, beda bgt ama brown cardamom yg ‘peppery flavour’. Cuma gw gak pernah kebayang sebelumnya bisa dibikin cookies. Thx for sharing the recipe Mbak Ri.
Comment by Silvia — May 26, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
Good morning!
what a fantastic recipe! Thanks ! I’m a huge fan of Nigella but I’ve never seen these macarons soo thanks again. They look delicious!
Silvia
Comment by eliza — May 26, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
eh, mau ikutan nimbrung. yg dibilang Vania itu, sptnya enak banget deh, gue belum pernah coba green cardamom, norak ya?
Comment by Wanda — May 26, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
Halu mbak. Hehe..aku lho yg temennya irzam yg sebulan ini sering ninggalin komen di dapur mbak. Mo nanya malu nih, jgn diketawain ya. Ehm…cardamom itu apa sih? Aku tertarik pengen bikin cookie-nya. Eh iya, ngomong2 ga pake terigu ya?
Comment by Abi — May 26, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
teuteuuup, measuring cup..hehehe
btw, gw juga fans berat Nigella lho Mba..
toub abissss mang doi..
baru baca aja udah ngecesssss…
salam kangen dari HCMC, abi..
Comment by deby suwito — May 28, 2008 @ 9:41 pm
Ho Chi Minh City?
boleh ikutan nebak ya….:o)
Comment by Wanda — May 28, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
Oo…kapulaga toh? Ketauan males buka kamus. Hehe… What a small world ya mbak. Pennylane Baker yg kukagumi tnyata gak jauh2…Ih, masih ga nyangka! Soon as i got almonds in hand, i’ll try this recipe. Demen bgt ama kueh yg chewy2! Salam buat bang Topaz ya… : )
Comment by Bundakey — May 29, 2008 @ 11:03 am
Ri’ kayak nya enak ya … belum pernah nyoba sih …
mau donk dikirim in ke dapur nya rumah jilbab 
)
hebat deh buat Ri’
Comment by nYam — May 29, 2008 @ 1:26 pm
mauuu…..
eh beneran gampang kah? aku kan kalo bikin kue bisa awet berhari-hari saking ga layak makannya hihihi
*berdoa segera punya oven*
Comment by arfi — May 30, 2008 @ 11:37 am
wah macaroons yang begini aku suka dan bikinnya lebih bisa dikontrol daripada french macarons yang baru aku coba. hiyaaaaaaa!! looks chewy indeed, ri!
Comment by vivi — June 19, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
wah..ngecess.. mupeng bkn ni, tp sayangnya macaroon2 ni sll dr almond bubuk ya? di jogja susah banget dapetin almond bubuk.
Comment by mary — July 3, 2008 @ 5:47 am
Tried it and loved it..
Thanks for the great recipe!
Mary from Cooking Recipe Videos
Comment by amy — September 2, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
aku seneng banget mampir kesini da resep and photo kue yang enak-enak, yang buat aku penasaran bahasa inggris mb keren banget bukan hanya itu susunan bahasa mb waktu bercerita bikin aku kadang senyum-senyum kalu ada yang lucu, mb lulusan sastra inggris atau emang lahir dan besar di inggris ya? bis kalu aku bahasa inggrisnya kacau hehehe
Comment by nita, the cookies freaks — September 22, 2008 @ 11:19 am
Mbak,
aq sudah coba bikin, endang bambang, enak banget. berhubung gak ada cardamon (emang nyari nya kurang keukueh kali ye….) aq ganti pake pala. enak juga. I should have listen to your advice to reduce the sugar, but nevermind, anak dan suamiku doyan ko. Tapi ada problemnya nih, kok flubby banget ya bleber bleber gak bisa gendut bulet kaya di gambar. Apa kebanyakan putih telurnya ya? btw, I’m a big fan of nigella juga lho