The ‘Weespermop' is an old Dutch cookie and perhaps the simplest and tastiest cookie to bake.

Weesper-mop: ‘mop' means cookie so it is a cookie from Weesp, which is a city in The Netherlands. The cookie is loved throughout the country.
In the past, every city or region in the world had its own cookie. And what could be nicer then sharing the recipes?

The Weespermop has only 4 ingredients if you make them yourself: almonds, lemon, sugar and egg. If you buy ready-made almond paste, there are three: almond paste, sugar and egg. I choose option C (see below): the option with almond flour because almonds are only for sale here in small packages and therefore relatively very expensive.
If you go for option A, make sure that you buy 100% almond paste.

Supplies

For the almond paste:
A. 300 g almond paste and 15 g sugar or:
B. 160 g unpeeled almonds or 150 g peeled almonds 165 g sugar and lemon zest or:
C. 150 g of almond flour, 165 sugar and lemon zest
For A, B and C a half beaten egg

To finish the cookie:
Crystal sugar
half beaten egg

Further needed:
Baking paper
Scale
Bowls to weigh ingredients
Cup and fork to beat egg
Teaspoon
Preheated oven at 200 ° Celsius

Step 1: Prepare the Almond Paste

Prepare the almond paste 2 to 3 days in advance. I you use unpeeled almonds then peel them by first soaking them in warm water. Then grind the peeled almonds in a food processor, but be careful not to grind too long to prevent the oil from running out. You now have almond flour.

Mix almond flour with the sugar, a teaspoon of lemon zest and a half beaten egg in the food processor. Mix until the almond paste starts to stick and stop turning. If the almond paste is too dry: add a little bit more of the egg, but don't do this too quickly. Remove the food from the machine and shape into a ball or block that fits in a sealable plastic bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, close the bag and let the food rest in the fridge for two to three days.

Note:
Almond paste without egg can easily be stored in the fridge for up to 3 months, depending of course on the freshness of the almonds.

Almond paste with egg can be stored for up to 7 days depending on the freshness of the egg.

For both, the taste is better if it matures for at least a few days.

Both can be frozen. The storage time is one year for almond paste without egg and 3 months with egg. Even when freezing, let it ripen in the fridge for a few days

Step 2: Make the Weespermop

Remove the almond paste from the refrigerator and mix with half a beaten egg.
Cover the workplace with baking paper and sprinkle a generous amount of sugar on the baking paper. Make two rolls of almond paste by rolling the rolls through the sugar.
Make the rolls of approximately 20 cm.

Cut the rolls into slices about 2 cm thick. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and press the top edge slightly so that the cookie taps slightly and let it rest and dry a bit for two to three hours.
Preheat the oven to 200 ° Celsius
Bake in 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven, at 200 ° Celsius.
Please be aware, in the last minutes only the edges have to turn golden brown, the rest of the cookie remains light. Do not bake for too long as the Weespermop will become hard and dry. Remove immediately from the oven after they are done. Store in a airtight container as soon as they are cooled down.