I’ve Been Making This Martha Stewart Dessert for Over 15 Years—You Deserve To Try It

I learned at a young age that I am a food nerd. As a pre-teen and then teenager, my idols weren’t movie stars or pop icons (though I may or may not have had an NSYNC era). Instead, I pored over issues of Martha Stewart Living, and in the summer when school was out, I watched the television show of the same name with my grandmother every weekday morning. 

Many of the first recipes I made to impress my family came from those magazines: a pumpkin crème brûlée, honey and yogurt panna cottas, and even homemade croissants (told you I was a food nerd).

The one Martha Stewart recipe that has stuck with me all these years came from her smaller magazine, Everyday Food, which was sadly discontinued in 2013. I made her Rustic Almond Macaroons one day on a whim, simply because I wanted a little something sweet and I already had the ingredients on hand.

I wasn’t expecting to love the recipe as much as I did. It’s very simple, homey, and unassuming. The macaroons don’t look like much—they’re nubby, pale, and plain. The reason I still make them, though, is that they have an absolutely perfect texture—chewy in just the right way—and a rich almond flavor.

The thing is, this recipe isn’t available. Unless you have the old issue of Everyday Food that included it, you won’t be able to find it anywhere. I’ve looked. The only reason I still have it is that I went through a phase of hand-writing all my favorite recipes into a journal (nerd). 

I’m sharing the recipe now because it’s worthy of living on the internet, and everyone deserves the happiness of eating two of these macaroons with a drippy ripe peach and a cloud of whipped cream.

How To Make Martha Stewart’s Rustic Almond Macaroons

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them with cooking spray.

Grind a pound of slivered almonds in two batches in a food processor. The nuts should be ground well but still a little coarse. Don’t turn them into almond flour. You want some texture in the finished cookies.

Combine the ground almonds in a large bowl with two cups (200 grams) of powdered sugar, two large egg whites, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a half teaspoon of salt. If you like the flavor of almond extract, add a half teaspoon along with the vanilla.

Stir the mixture with a spatula until it just comes together. It will be crumbly, but if you squeeze some of it in your hand it should stick together. Use a tablespoon to portion and shape the dough into mounds and drop them on the prepared baking sheets (you can also use a very small portion scoop here).

The cookies don’t spread so you can bake them fairly close together. Bake the macaroons until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

How I Serve Martha’s Almond Macaroons

The simple almond flavor of these cookies complements absolutely every fruit from peaches to strawberries. I cut up the fruit (unless I’m working with small berries) and toss it with a little sugar so it creates syrupy juice. Then I make whipped cream, usually with a little sugar and vanilla.

I serve mounds of the whipped cream topped with the juicy sugared fruit and macaroons on the side. The combination of textures and flavors in this dessert is sophisticated, and yet it’s ridiculously easy to make.

Or, if you like a little caffeine with your dessert, serve the cookies with affogato: ice cream or gelato topped with a shot of espresso (very strong, hot coffee works too).

The cookies are great on their own, too—the perfect sidecar to a mug of tea in the afternoon. This is one of those back-pocket recipes I return to every single year because, while it’s not splashy, it is perfect for any occasion. Thanks, Martha!