Easy Italian Almond Cookies Recipe (Ricciarelli)
Ricciarelli are a delicious chewy almond flavored, gluten free and dairy free cookies that are coated with 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.
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
Nutrition
Calories: 83kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 24mgPotassium: 7mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
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