Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup finely ground almonds (almond meal) 
• ½ cup plus 1½ tbsp. bakers sugar 
• Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon 
• ½ tsp. pure almond extract 
• Pinch of salt 
• ½ cup tart dried cherries, chopped 
• 2 large egg whites 
• 2 tsp. honey 
• Powdered sugar, for rolling cookies 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 

Combine almond meal, bakers sugar, lemon zest, almond extract and salt in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together so that they are evenly mixed; reserve. 

With a hand or stand mixer, beat egg whites together with honey until they form a light meringue. You do not want the meringue to be stiff.

Gently fold meringue into reserved almond mixture with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed. 

Place 1 cup of powdered sugar onto a plate. 

Place a generous teaspoon of batter into your hand and form into an oval. Gently roll cookie in powdered sugar and then place it onto the lined baking sheet. Continue in this way until all of the cookie batter has been used. 

Bake the cookies in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until they are just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to set before serving. 

Makes 20-24 cookies.