Ricciarelli are a delicious chewy almond flavored, gluten free and dairy free cookies that are coated with copious amounts of powdered sugar and are so easy to make. These chewy Italian almond cookies are not only simple but they make the best gifts during the holidays and pairing for espresso.
About these Chewy Cookies From Sienna
One thing I love knowing is the history behind any Italian recipe. Ricciarelli are very old Italian cookies that date back to the 14th century and originated in Sienna. It is not fully known how this recipe made its way to Sienna but some have speculated that it was brought from Sicilian immigrants who came to the area, while others speculate that it was Arab spice traders who introduced them.
These cookies have a distinct diamond to oval shape and can be flavored with almond, orange, lemon, vanilla or all of them together. The diamond shape is believed to be copied from the shape of Middle Eastern marzipan. More modern versions are made into round cookies.
My favorite way of preparing these cookies is with the almond flavoring and the traditional diamond shape. The recipe stays the same with whatever flavor combination you choose, just change around the extract or zest of citrus.
What You Will Need And Substitutions
- Almond flour: If you cannot find this, you can grind your own almonds in a food processor to make it. Just grind it until it is the consistency of flour.
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar: Or icing sugar
- Egg whites: From large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- Almond extract: This is the almond flavor of the cookies. If you want vanilla only, just omit this. You can also add the zest of a lemon or orange for more flavor.
How To Make Chewy Italian Almond Cookies
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, some of the powdered sugar and salt..
- Whip the egg whites: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, whip the egg whites until they are nice and frothy (not stiff peaks like a meringue) about 1-2 minutes. After this, whisk in vanilla and almond extract until combined.
- Combine: Now stir in the frothy egg whites into the almond flour mixture until a wet dough forms.
- Shape the dough then freeze for 2 hours: Dump the dough on to a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it lightly and form a 10 inch long x 3 inch wide rectangle. This dough needs time to set up. You can also freeze the dough overnight.
- Prepare the work surface: Dust a work surface with powdered sugar then carefully unwrap the dough and invert it on to the work surface.
- Cut: Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips then cut at a diagonal (5 total) to make a diamond shape. Now roll them in a plate of powdered sugar until heavily coated on all sides.
- Bake: For about about 14 minutes (5 minutes at 300 degrees and about 9 minutes ate 325 degrees) or until the powdered sugar top cracks or you can see the cookies turn a light golden color.
Recipe Tips
- For the egg whites: You only want to beat them until frothy and not into stiff peaks. This should only take about 1-2 minutes.
- If the dough is sticky: Just dust the dough and the knife in powdered sugar to make the cuts.
- Making these into another shape: If you prefer, you can skip the diamond shape and just grab a walnut sized portion of the dough and roll them into a ball and gently shape them as you like. Jut make sure to give them a light press down before baking because they will stay round in shape.
- What to do with the egg yolks? I like making a batch of carbonara with it!
Storing
You can store Ricciarelli on the counter covered in plastic wrap or on a plate for up to one week.
Because of the egg whites in the recipe, I do not recommend freezing the already cooked cookies. You can however make the dough ahead of time and leave in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to one week.
More Traditional Italian Cookies
Easy Italian Almond Cookies Recipe (Ricciarelli)
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour or ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 egg whites from large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Powdered Sugar Coating
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Making the dough
- In a medium shallow bowl, sift in powdered sugar then set aside.⅔ cup powdered sugar
- In a large bowl, sift in powdered sugar and salt then whisk them together with the almond meal.2 cups almond flour, ⅛ tsp kosher salt, 1 cup powdered sugar
- In a separate large bowl add the egg whites and with a hand mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy (about 1-2 minutes).2 egg whites
- Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix again to incorporate.
- With a spoon or spatula, stir in the the egg whites into the almond flour mixture until it forms a wet dough.2 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp almond extract
- Dump the dough on to a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it lightly and form a 10 inch long x 3 inch wide rectangle. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight. This dough needs time to set up.
Making the Chewy Almond Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust a work surface liberally with powdered sugar.
- Carefully unwrap the dough and invert it on to the work surface.
- Cover the top with powdered sugar.
- Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips then cut at a diagonal (5 total) to make a diamond shape. Now roll them in a plate of powdered sugar until heavily coated on all sides. Note: If the dough is sticking to the knife, just coat the knife in powdered sugar.
- Place on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 300 degrees then turn up the heat to 325 and bake an additional 9 minutes or until the powdered sugar begins to crack on the cookies and they begin to turn light golden in color.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, gently move them on to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, dust liberally with more powdered sugar
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