Ratafia Cookies

Adapted by Dan Macey from Martha Lloyd’s Household Book

The ratafia cake may well have been the chocolate chip cookie of the Regency era—that is, the most popular cookie of its time. Recipes for ratafia cakes or biscuits—they are more cookies than cakes—were everywhere, including Martha Lloyd's Household Book. They are chewy, almondy, meringue-like, gluten free, and easy to make!

Photo by Paul Savidge, Food styling by Dan Macey

Download or print the recipe PDF

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon orange water or orange liqueur
Sliced almonds for garnish

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour with the sugar and set aside.
• In another medium bowl, whisk the egg whites with the orange water or liqueur with an electric mixer until stiff.
• Combine the sugar/almond mixture with the egg whites and fold together.
• Drop teaspoon-sized amounts of batter onto the parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them about an inch apart. It's best to fit about a dozen on each sheet; you will probably have enough batter for one more sheet tray.
• Garnish each mound of batter with a sliced almond in the center.
• Bake for 12 minutes or until cakes are just browned around the edges. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet and then remove with a spatula.