Welcome to our annual collection of community holiday recipes. Each year, the 91Ô­´´ Advance Times casts a wide net asking for local people to share Christmas recipes that hold some significance to their family or themselves. This year, there's everything from cookies, pancakes, and fruit pizza to scalloped potatoes and cornbread.

We hope you enjoy this year's feature. And while one of the recipes is provided below, the entire section is available for viewing by clicking into our eEditions here.

Happy holiday, one and all.

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After a big Christmas dinner, everyone is looking forward to dessert. 

No Christmas celebration is complete in my family without the presence of Amaretti cookies on the dessert table! 

These simple cookies have become a staple of family gatherings, and an underrated sweet treat that finds its way onto everyone’s plate.

When Nonna (Grandmother) Dina died in 2017, my family did not let these cookies become a relic of the past. 

The recipe got passed down to my aunt, who refused to let a family event pass without bringing them.

When I moved to B.C. in 2022, I brought the recipe with me. 

I make these every holiday season, and I share them with my chosen family on the West Coast.  

– Francesca Masellis, a child & youth bereavement support worker for 91Ô­´´ Hospice Society

Amaretti cookies
 

Ingredients:
• 4 cups almond flour
• 1 ½ cup white sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1.5 oz (roughly) almond extract
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Amarena cherries

Directions:
• Mix almond flour and sugar together in a bowl
• In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg whites with a fork until there is a runny layer of foam on top
• Add almond extract and lemon zest
• Mix egg whites with dry ingredients
NOTE: Dough should not be sticky, and should not crumble apart. If too dry, add one more egg white. If the dough is too sticky, add more almond flour.
• Roll into 1 inch balls, and top with 1 Amarena cherry per cookie
• Bake at 330ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms/ edges are golden brown

Optional:
• Roll dough balls in white sugar, or icing sugar for additional desired sweetness