Ricciarelli (Sienese Christmas Cookies)

2 large egg whites
6 ounces ground almonds (Almond Flour or Meal)
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups icing sugar (Powdered Sugar)
1 teaspoon almond extract
rum or brandy or Amaretto
1/2 orange, zest of or 1 lemon, zest of
1 tablespoon candied orange or lemon peel
12 ounces of good dark chocolate

Sieve together the Icing Sugar, Flour and Baking Power into a bowel, then mix in the Ground Almonds.
In a separate bowl, add a couple of drops of almond extract to the egg whites and then whisk until stiff peaks form.
Stir the stiffened egg whites into the dry mixture until a sticky 'dough' is formed.
If you are trying the options, at this point add either a tablespoon of mixed orange/lemon peel OR the zest of half a lemon/orange OR a tablespoon of Rum, Brandy or Amaretto.
Sprinkle a board with sifted Icing Sugar and take a desertspoon full of the dough, roll in the Icing Sugar and form into a ball. Flatten the ball a little with the back of a fork. Continue until all your dough is gone (the amount above should make 12-16 cookies).
Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and place your dough balls on, taking care to leave space for 'spread' during cooking.
Pop into an oven that's been preheated to Gas Mark 6 (200C, 390F) until golden brown. This should take approximately 10-12 minutes.
Remove from oven and leave to cool completely. If you are intending to dip the cookies in chocolate, at this stage you should melt very good quality dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa solids) in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and dip the cooled cookies inches Return them to the tray and cool off in the fridge or a cool place until chocolate is set.