Amygdalota - Almond Meringue Cookies

To Make The Almond Meringue Cookies:

1. Blend almonds in a blender or food processor until powdered (not flour). They should be as coarse as almond meal. And fine enough to pass through a mesh sieve.
2. Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F.
3. Prepare the meringue. Add egg whites to the bowl of your electric mixer (you can use a hand mixer also). With the whisk attachment on beat egg whites until they begin to thicken. See Note 1 below.
4. Add the lemon juice and begin to incorporate the granulated sugar gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beating over high speed.
5. The meringue is ready when all the sugar is dissolved and it's become firm enough to see the traces on the whisk clearly on its surface and forms stiff peaks.
6. Sift and fold the icing sugar into the meringue in batches using a silicone spatula.
7. Fold in the powdered almonds in batches. At this point, the mixture will get very firm.
8. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
9. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
10. Pipe 20 round cookies that are about 5 cm (2-inch) in diameter and about 1 cm (½-inch) thick.
11. Sprinkle each cookie with flaked almonds. Press very lightly to make them stick.
12. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Until cookies get deep golden.
13. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them reach room temperature.

To Make The Custard Butter Cream:

1. Combine milk with cornstarch and vanilla. Heat over medium heat. Stirring often with a whisk so cornstarch won't stick at the bottom.
2. Add the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. When the milk mixture is steamy hot (not simmering), take the pot off the heat, and very slowly add the milk to the egg yolks, using a ladle and beginning with small drops and then continuing threadlike. When more than half of the milk is combined with the egg yolks, transfer it back to the pot.
4. Stir over low heat until the custard thickens.
5. Pass the cream through a sieve to remove any lumps and into a bowl.
6. Cover the cream with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should be touching the surface of the cream so it won't form skin on top. Let the cream cool down to room temperature.
7. Beat the butter for 5-6 minutes over medium-high speed until whipped and creamy using the whisk attachment on your mixer.
8. Add the custard cream into the butter gradually (IMPORTANT the cream should be cool, not warm). Add 2 tablespoons of cream at a time and mix to combine. Don't overmix, just until the cream is incorporated. Then stop and add the next spoonfuls of cream.
9. Transfer the cream to a piping bag.

Assemble:

1. Pipe a layer of cream on half of the cookies. Then coat with the remaining half cookies creating a buttercream cookie sandwich.
2. Dust some icing sugar on top and if you like some ground cinnamon too. Or drizzle some melted dark chocolate. To add chocolate simply microwave the chocolate over low to moderate heat at 30-second intervals until melted. Then with a teaspoon drizzle over the cookies.