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1
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
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2
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and keep them dose at hand.
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3
Put the almonds and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl now and then, until the almonds are finely ground, about 2 minutes.
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4
If you are using cinnamon or cocoa, put it in now and pulse to blend.
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5
If you are using chopped pecans, wait to add them after all the other ingredients have been added.
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6
With the processor running, add the egg whites in a steady stream.
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7
Mix about 30 seconds, only until the egg whites are blended into the almonds and sugar you dont want to incorporate too much air into the batter.
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8
Add the pecans, if you are using them, and pulse just to mix.
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9
Spoon out a level tablespoon of batter for each cookie, spacing the cookies about 1 inch (5 cm) apart on the lined baking sheets.
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10
Slide the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets front to back and top to bottom at the halfway point.
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11
The cookies should puff, firm, and turn lightly brown around the edges.
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12
With a wide metal spatula, carefully lift the cookies off the baking sheets and onto cooling racks to cool to room temperature.
