PILLOWS OF LOVE

(Named by Shaina) I once worked in a bakery which featured these little puffs of exquisiteness that remind me of the old fashioned Italian cookie trays (except that they are not pink and green.)

PILLOWS OF LOVE ALMOND MACAROONS

• 1 lb. (weigh it) almond paste (here they sell it at PennMac in a small plastic container) 
• 3/4 cp. sugar
• 3/4 cp. confectioner’s sugar 
• 4 egg whites
• whole or slivered almonds for garnishing

Really the best way to combine these is in a food processor - just buzz it until it is all perfectly smooth with no lumps. But probably an electric mixer will be fine.  The rest is so simple: preheat oven to 350; line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; drop teaspoonfuls of the creamy paste on it about 2” apart; center an almond in the middle; bake for about 10 minutes until just slightly golden on top. Cool and pop into your mouth. I never counted how many this makes, but a lot - you can halve the recipe with no problem if you want less, but that’s unlikely. You can also add green or red food coloring to make them more like the ones you can get at Moio’s.