Gran Forno Italian Bakery Favorite Amaretto Cookies

Source: Sal Annino - Gran Forno Italian Bakery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 (7 ounce) tubes almond paste
1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Spray baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine granulated sugar, almond paste and orange zest using an electric mixer. Add the egg whites and beat until totally combined and smooth. Dough should be soft. Using a pastry tube, pipe 1/2-inch dots of dough 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. If you don't have a pastry tube or prefer not to use it, you can shape the cookies by using 2 spoons to make scant 1 tablespoon mounds of dough on the baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until golden and set. Let sit on pan 5 minutes to cool. Remove to wire racks. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Makes about 200 cookies using a pastry bag; 40 cookies using spoons.

Per cookie shaped with pastry bag: 20 calories, 37 percent calories from fat, .34 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, .14 gram total fiber, .83 gram total fat, no cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium

Per cookie shaped with spoon: 100 calories, 37 percent calories from fat, 2 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, .72 gram total fiber, 4 grams total fat, no cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium