Amygdalota

This sweet is typical of the island of Andros and in general of the entire Cyclades archipelago, to which it belongs. They can be made like cookies but it is more common to give them a pear shape and a size such that they can be eaten in one single bite. It is the typical accompaniment when drinking a Greek coffee. Since the town of Batsí on the island is a popular summer destination among mainland Greeks, the consumption of amygdalota has spread throughout the country.

The secret of these cookies is that they are crispy on the outside and somewhat rubbery on the inside. Almond flour should always be used exclusively for the dough, without mixtures of any other type of flour.

By the way, if the word amygdalota reminds you of the word amygdala, you're right. To the Greeks the tonsils (the two masses located in the throat) reminded them of the shape of almonds. And since almond in Greek is αμυγδαλή (amygdalí), anything that has almond shape or food where almond is a main ingredient has a good chance of being named with a word that sounds like a medical term to Westerners but for them it just means "almond".

INGREDIENTS :

• 350 grams (12 oz) of almond flour
• 200 grams (7 oz) of icing sugar
• 3 egg whites (just the whites, no yolks)
• 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
• 1 pinch of salt (the tip of a teaspoon)

In a bowl, mix the almond flour with the sugar. Once they are well mixed, add the pinch of salt, the orange blossom water and the egg whites. If you don't have orange blossom water you can grate the rind of an orange.

Knead by hand until you have a wet dough.

Then we take portions of dough that fit in the palm of our hand and we give them a spherical shape. With a size smaller than a ping pong ball will be enough. Then we give this sphere the shape of a pear. It is a matter of skill, but it is not difficult at all.

We preheat the oven to 180 degrees (356 F). Place the pears on a baking sheet and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes or until they start to brown.

We extract them, let cool and ready to eat. They are usually sprinkled with more icing sugar but it is not essential.

If they are crispy on the outside and rubbery on the inside, perfect! You have successfully made some cookies from Andros Island.