Spiced Orange and Apricot Amaretti

Grease a flat baking tray and line with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.

Put the ground almonds, caster sugar, all the spices and the orange zest in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub everything together to infuse with the oil from the orange zest. Add the apricots and toss through the mixture so they’re all separated and coated in almond. 

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy, then beat in the sugar until thick. Add to the almond mixture and stir in to make a thick, but soft and sticky dough.

To assemble: Put the icing sugar in shallow dish. Scoop out small walnut-sized spoonfuls of the mixture and drop into the icing sugar. Using your hand and the spoon, gently roll to coat in the icing sugar, keeping them quite rough so they look like little rocks. Place on the baking tray and leave on the bench for 20 minutes to dry.

Sieve a little extra icing sugar over each one (this gives them their distinctive crackled tops) then bake for about 20–25 minutes or until a light golden colour, turning the tray for even browning. Amaretti will keep stored in an airtight container for 2 weeks. Makes 20