Chocolate Macaroons
Blanch half a pound of shelled sweet almonds, by scalding them with boiling water, till the skins peel off easily. Then throw them into a bowl of cold water, and let them stand awhile. Take them out and wipe them separately. Afterwards set them in a warm place to dry thoroughly. Put them, one at a time, into a marble mortar, and pound them to a smooth paste, moistening them, as you proceed, with a few drops of rose-water to prevent their oiling. When you have pounded one or two, take them out of the mortar with a tea-spoon, and put them into a deep plate beside you, and continue removing the almonds to the plate till they are all done. Scrape down, as fine as possible, half a pound of the best chocolate, or of Baker’s prepared cocoa, and mix it thoroughly with the pounded almonds. Then set the plate in a cool place. Put the whites of eight eggs into a shallow pan, and beat them to a stiff froth that will stand alone. Have ready a pound and a half of finely-powdered loaf sugar. Stir it hard into the beaten white-of-egg, a spoonful at a time. Then stir in, gradually, the mixture of almond and chocolate, and beat the whole very hard. Drop the mixture in equal portions upon thin white paper, laid on square tin pans; smoothing them with a spoon into round cakes about the size of a half dollar. Dredge the top of each lightly with powdered sugar. Set them into a quick oven, and bake them a light brown. When done, take them off the paper.