Chocolate Almond Macaroons for Passover

Tonight is the first night of Passover.
Passover (Pesach) is the story about how Moses lead the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt (bible lesson for the day!).

There are 2 ceremonial dinners, which are known as "seders".
Click here to see past year's seders.

During the week of Passover, observers do not eat leavened bread or anything made with barley, wheat, rye, oats, or spelt.
Basically, you can call it a "gluten free" holiday, because I know so many of you don't eat flour or wheat anyway!

Passover foods have come a long way over the years.
When I was a kid, my grandmother would buy a honey cake, which was always dry and hard to swallow.
Coconut macaroons came in a can, made by Manischewitz (they still do, and are pretty good!), and matzoh was the only thing you could eat.

Now that "foodies" are in charge, the world is a different place.

There are so many cookbooks with new ideas and ways to make desserts without flour, go figure.

I made these SCRUMPTIOUS chocolate almond macaroons, and I will not be waiting for Passover to make them again.

Make them and see for yourself!

Chocolate Almond Macaroons for Passover or Anytime! (adapted from All Recipes):

2 cups almonds
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
sliced almonds for top of cookies

Grind the almonds in a food processor with the sugar, cinnamon and salt until finely ground. You can also use almond meal if you like, just make sure you use 2 fully packed cups, if you are using meal instead of whole almonds.

Add the eggs and extract to the mixture and incorporate.

Shave the chocolate with a knife (I use 4 squares of Trader Joe's Belgian 72% chocolate). Add to the mix.

Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 big baking sheets w/ parchment paper.

With wet hands, roll the dough into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle some sliced almonds on top.

Bake for 12-13 minutes. The cookies will puff up nicely.

Remove immediately to a cooling rack with a thin spatula.

These are light and airy and delicious!

Have a Happy Passover!

xo