Sicily in a biscuit

'Brutti ma buoni' means ugly but good. 

It certainly does sum up this nutty, citrusy, sweet mouthful of joy, that transports you to the Sicilian shores for a moment of pleasure. Several moments in fact, if like me, you cannot resist more than one. Be careful, you will eat them ALL.

So if you are dreaming of warmer times, need to de-stress or decide if Sicily is this year's summer holiday then I recommend baking these.

There's fierce competition in the the convents across Sicily to bake the best dolci, sweet treats fit for the Pope.


Makes 24

4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
110g ground almonds
110g caster sugar
zest 2 lemons
2tbsp honey


Heat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly       whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt.

Mix the almonds with the caster sugar and lemon zest and add enough of the whisked egg to get a soft paste - add the egg slowly as I find you are often left with a little. You can add more ground almonds if you do think it is too runny. Finally, stir in the honey.

Use two spoons to make small heaps of the paste on the baking tray, leaving enough space for the biscuits to spread a little.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and enjoy. x