Writing in the Kitchen…Again!

My writing/research has taken me into the kitchen again.  This time I am attempting to decipher a recipe for cookies from a cookbook printed in 1798.  I wonder if it these Macaroon Cakes would have found their way onto tea trays set out in drawing rooms where debutantes waited for their gentleman callers?

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Macaroon Cakes
The recipe as it appears in The English Art of Cookery, According to the Present Practice, Being a Complete Guide to All Housekeepers, on a Plan Entirely New … with Bills of Fare for Every Month in the Year by Richard Briggs

I only made a half recipe and used the following ingredients and procedure:

  • 1/2 lb of almond flour (about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 lb of confectioners sugar (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 egg whites
  1. Sift the almond flour and sugar into a bowl.
  2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
  3. Combine the egg whites with the almond/sugar mixture.
  4. Drop onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  5. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.
  6. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

The results were tasty and VERY sweet!  I think this recipe might be another fun one to play around with a bit…maybe add a bit of spice or a little lemon zest?  What do you think?  If you do try the recipe, I would love to hear about it.


Published by

Leenie Brown

Author of Austen-Inspired and Original Fiction

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