Macaroons

Blanch forty sweet and twenty bitter almonds. Pound them in a mortar, adding half a pound of the finest sifted loaf sugar as you go on, taking care the almonds are reduced to a smooth paste. Whisk the white of one large egg to a stiff froth, and mix it with the sugar and almonds. Flour a baking-tin, and lay on it sheets of wafer paper, which can be bought at the confectioner's, and drop at equal distances a small piece of the paste. Bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes, or until the macaroons are crisp and the requisite colour. This quantity of material will make twenty macaroons of the ordinary size. When done cut round the wafer paper with a knife, and put the cakes on a sieve to dry.

Amandines

Blanch and pound to a very smooth, light paste three ounces of bitter almonds with a little rose water. Beat three quarters of a pound of sugar to a cream with half a pound of butter, then gradually work in the almond paste, then the flour, and having well beaten this, add the whites of twelve eggs beaten to a very strong froth. Bake about half an hour in small tins, as for castle puddings, turn out when done, and ornament some with minced pistachio-kernels, others with cochineal sugar, or they may be iced. These cakes can be made when the yolks of the eggs have been used for creams or custards.

Rice Cakes

Beat a quarter of a pound of butter to a cream, mix with it a quarter of a pound of sifted sugar, the grated rind of a lemon, or any spice or flavouring preferred, and thoroughly beat together with the whole of one egg and the white of another; sift in gradually two ounces of ground rice and six ounces of flour previously mixed together, stir in two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, put in the buttered tins with bands of paper round, and bake immediately in a quick oven. This is a cheap and good cake, and very easily managed.

Rock Cakes

Rub a quarter of a pound of butter or clarified dripping into one pound of flour, mix in a quarter of a pound of raw sugar, half a pound of currants or sultanas, and one ounce of candy peel chopped as finely as possible, or, instead of the candy peel, a little grated lemon peel and a pinch of baking powder. Beat two eggs for a minute, mix them with the other ingredients; the paste, in order that the cakes may present a rocky shape, must be very stiff; if it is at all moist, the cakes will be flat. If, however, the two eggs are not sufficient to moisten the mass, add a very little milk or another egg as required. Flour a large baking-sheet, with your fingers put little pieces of the cake at equal distances, taking care to drop them on lightly, so that they will keep the rock shape.

Ginger Nuts

Rub two ounces of butter into half a pound of flour, mix with this four teaspoonfuls of ground ginger, a quarter of a pound of raw sugar, and a large pinch of carbonate of soda. Work altogether with two table-spoonfuls of treacle into a stiff paste, pinch off little pieces, and, having floured your hands, roll into balls, flattening each in the middle with your thumb. Place the nuts, with a little space between each, on a floured baking sheet, and bake in a moderate oven for about fifteen minutes.