Makes 20-22
I am like a dog with a bone. Once I get an idea in my head, I just can’t get it out. So the other day, the idea in my head was Passover recipes. I don’t know why because I have never made a Passover recipe in my life but I was emailing my Auntie Sandra (she of the famous chicken soup fame) at the time and she is the Queen of Passover, so maybe that was it. As it is, I’m a religious paradox you see, being the world’s only Christmas loving Jew. I’m an-almost athiest but I yet love the fun and feasting of all holidays. I never met a festival (of any faith) I didn’t like.
For the eight days of Passover (or Pesach “pay-sahk”) Jewish people cannot eat “chametz” which includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after first coming into contact with water. I never kept kosher at Passover and ate all the grains. My bad.
On the first two nights of Pesach we have a special family meal filled with lots of rituals to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder (“say-dah”) Although I never kept kosher or celebrated Passover at home, I have the fondest memories of the Seder at my auntie’s house and an uber-seder at my friend Lynne’s house in Philadelphia. Both my auntie and Lynne are the most epic cooks and fed almost armies on these special nights.
Anyway fast forward to the present, I wanted to make something that was quick, easy, yummy and didn’t require kosher or hard to find ingredients that I might never use again, so that’s how I came to make Cinnamon Balls. Not only are they quick, easy and very yummy, but they’re gluten free, dairy free, low iodine and only have four ingredients (five, if you count the icing sugar, but let’s not split hairs!) All I can say it’s lucky that I didn’t know about these when I was on the low iodine diet because otherwise I would have turned into a cinnamon ball!
They’re perfect in a lunchbox, with a cup of coffee or as an after dinner treat. Oh and if all that wasn’t lovely enough, they’ll keep for up to a week in an airtight container and three months in the freezer although they’re way too irresistible to last that long!
Ingredients – Traditional
1/2 cup (125g) caster sugar
2 cups (225g) ground almonds
1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites
icing sugar, to dust
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 160C /140C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Put the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine.
- In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the dry ingredients in three or four batches.
- Leave the mixture to set for a few minutes and then with slightly wetted hands, roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls. You should get about 20-22 out of the mix.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until just firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then place the warm balls in a ziploc bag with some icing sugar. Zip the bag, and roll the balls around until lightly dusted.
- Place the balls on a wire rack to cool. Lightly dust with another coating of icing sugar before serving.
Ingredients – Thermomix
225g raw almonds
125g caster sugar
1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites
icing sugar, to dust
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 160C /140C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Mill almonds for 8 seconds on speed 8.
- Add the caster sugar and cinnmaon and mix for 4 seconds on speed 4. Set aside.
- In a clean, dry bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the dry ingredients in three or four batches.
- Leave the mixture to set for a few minutes and then with slightly wetted hands, roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls. You should get about 20-22 out of the mix.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until just firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then place the warm balls in a ziploc bag with some icing sugar. Zip the bag, and roll the balls around until lightly dusted.
- Place the balls on a wire rack to cool. Lightly dust with another coating of icing sugar before serving.
TIP!
My balls always have what I have always coveted… A flat bottom! Auntie Sandra says this is because the mixture is too wet, so if you want a perfectly round ball with a perfectly round bottom, use small eggs or a teeny weeny bit less egg white.
