Ricciarelli (Soft Italian Almond Cookies)
Ricciarelli are soft and chewy almond cookies flavored with vanilla extract and lemon (or orange!) zest. Made with almond flour, they're naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, a wonderful addition to a holiday cooke spread and great with coffee or tea any time of year.
Servings: 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (256 grams) almond flour
- 1 3/4 cups (200 grams) powdered sugar, plus extra for shaping and dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Whip the egg whites: In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest, and fold to combine.
- Make the dough: Add the almond flour mixture to the egg whites and fold with a rubber spatula until it comes together into a thick dough.
- Chill: Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 4 hours. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Shape the cookies: Remove the dough from the fridge. Dust a work surface liberally with powdered sugar. Use your hands to roll the dough into a 16-inch log, coating it in the powdered sugar. If the dough cracks in places, press it back together and continue rolling. Cut the log into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices. You should get between 20 and 24 cookies. Lay the cookies flat and use your fingers to shape them into ovals roughly 2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the cookies, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dust the cookies generously with powdered sugar.
- Let the cookies dry: preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven preheats, let the cookies sit uncovered. The tops of the cookies will dry out slightly, forming a shell that will crack during baking.
- Bake the cookies: Bake until the tops of the cookies have cracked and the cookies are just beginning to brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Cool the cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
Notes
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- Storage: Once cooled, store ricciarelli in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The baked and cooled cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Substitute almond meal: You can also use almond meal (or hazelnut meal) in place of the blanched almond flour. Almond meal is made from raw almonds, not blanched ones, and it has includes the brown skins. Your ricciarelli will have a slightly speckled appearance as a result, and an ever so slight slightly bitter almond flavor, but they will bake very similarly to the original.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 127.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.7g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 7.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 39.6mg | Potassium: 5.6mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 10.9g | Calcium: 34.7mg | Iron: 0.6mg
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