Called Ricciarelli, these Italian Almond Cookies are chewy on the inside, filled with wonderful almond flavour and studded with dried cherries. They keep for 10 days, and because they’re gluten free and dairy free, everybody can enjoy them!
Italian Almond Cookies
If there’s one word that captures these cookies, it’s rustic. And in my world, what that means is don’t get hung up about making them look perfect. These nubbly little balls will be a bit wonky. Some will be larger than others. There will be almond bits sticking out here and there, you might end up with some bald patches. Some bits might have a double layer of almonds. Some will have more than their fair share of dried cherries in them. Others will miss out.
And that’s ok! These are cookies that are meant to be perfectly imperfect – to look at. But they’re perfectly perfect – to eat!!!
What goes in Italian Almond Cookies
Here’s what you need to make these Almond Cookies:
Just a note on a few of the ingredients:
Almond meal (aka Ground Almonds) – This is what we use instead of flour for these gluten free cookies. It is literally raw almonds that are blitzed into a fine powder. It’s easily found nowadays, sold in the bakery, dried fruit & nut section and/or health food section of grocery stores. You can also make your own by blitzing 250g/ 9oz raw, unpeeled, unsalted almonds in a powerful blender (I use a Vitamix) until it becomes a fine powder.
Almond flour is different, it is made with blanched, peeled almonds, blitzed until it becomes powder form. It is lighter in colour (because the brown skin is removed) and it has a finer texture the almond flavour is slightly less. While I have not made these particular cookies with almond flour, I am confident they will work based on other recipes where I’ve interchanged the two, such as this Orange Cake;
Almond extract – Made from the oil of almonds, this adds a rich almond flavour to anything you add it to. Easily found these days in the baking aisle of grocery stores;
Flaked almonds (optional) – These are used to coat the cookies which gives it a terrific textural crust and extra almond flavour. Without the almonds, the outside of the cookies are quite soft and need to be handled rather gently to ensure you don’t crush them.
Also, from an eating perspective, when it’s soft on the outside and inside, my mind thinks “CAKE!!!!” and gets all confused that it’s actually a cookie. So the crispy toasted almond crust makes these biscuits more like what my narrow mind thinks of as cookies – crispy outside, softer inside.
Pretty sure it’s not strictly traditional. Italian readers, perhaps you can shed some light on this? But it’s how an Italian bakery in Sydney makes these cookies. I loved it, so I stole the idea!
Dried cherries (optional) – You won’t see dried cherries in traditional Italian Almond cookie recipe. But this particular recipe is one loosely based on a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe which includes the cherries. I liked it so I kept it in, because it brings an extra something-something to these cookies. But you can skip it, or substitute with any dried fruit really – cranberries, raisins, even chopped apricot!
Sugar – I’m using superfine / caster sugar here which are finer grains than regular sugar which is my standard sugar that I use for baking as it incorporates more easily into batters. But for this particular recipe, regular sugar (granulated sugar) will work just fine too;
Egg Whites (see here for recipes using leftover egg yolks) – use what’s sold labelled as “large eggs”, which are 55 – 60g / 2oz each. These are industry-standard sizes in Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh different eggs and use 110-120g / 4 oz in total (including shell) or 100 – 108g / 3.6 oz in total excluding shell (this is useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Crack eggs, beat whites and yolks together, THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need).
Use at room temperature – Eggs need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold, because they aerate better when beaten. A quick way to warm up fridge-cold eggs: Place eggs in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot) and leave for 5 minutes. Wipe dry (to avoid residual water dripping into bowl), then use per recipe.
How to make Italian Almond Cookies
The nice thing about this cookie dough is that it’s really forgiving. No need to worry about overworking the gluten like you do with flour based cookies. It can sit around for ages (like it for hours when I made the recipe video!) and it still works 100% perfectly.
Whisk Dry ingredients – Use a whisk to combine the almond meal, sugar, salt, lemon and almond extract. You could also rub it with your fingers, but a whisk makes short work of this step (literally 5 seconds);
Beat egg whites until fluffy – Beat the egg whites with the honey until soft peaks form. “Soft peaks” is the stage before “stiff peaks” which is what you want when making things such as Pavlova because you need the stiffness for the meringue to hold its shape when baked.
For this recipe, we’re not relying on the egg whites to make the cookies rise as such. It’s more to give the cookie a bit of aeration so they aren’t super dense. So we only need soft peaks – which looks like this:
Make dough – Combine the whipped whites with the Dry Ingredients. You will feel like you’re crushing all the air out of the whites as you mix them, but you aren’t. Not completely!
Unlike recipes like the Black Forest Cake I shared last week where the sponge layers rely on the whipped egg whites to make them rise, we don’t need to be so careful folding the egg whites through the batter because for these Almond Cookies, we’re just using egg whites to lighten the mixture, as opposed to making the cookies rise;
Form balls using two spoons – Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a rough ball (2.5cm/1.” ball). I do this using 2 eating spoons – we don’t need perfect balls here. These cookies are supposed to be rustic! Also, the cookies may look small at this stage, but the almonds add bulk.
Coat in egg whites – Drop the ball into a bowl of whisked egg whites and roll with two forks to coat. This is used to make the almond flakes stick to the cookies. When it’s wet, the almonds will slide around but once they are baked, the egg white turns into super glue!
Coat in almond flakes – Then use the forks to transfer the cookies into a bowl with the almond flakes. Use your fingers to sprinkle almonds on top, then pick the whole thing up (with plenty of excess almond flakes!), press almonds around the ball and shake off excess.
Again, just a reminder, we’re going for rustic here! Don’t worry about bits of almonds sticking out, some naked patches, some double up patches! Whatever sticks is good, whatever does, doesn’t!
Place on tray – Place on two prepared trays 2.5cm / 1″ apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes in a 180°C/350°F oven until golden brown. Start checking at 12 minutes to be sure the nuts aren’t burning;
Cool – Transfer to rack to cool completely before serving. They cookies will be soft straight out of the oven, but the exterior will crisp up as they cool.
Dusting with icing sugar / powdered sugar is optional, but they do add a lovely little finish to them, don’t you think?
These cookies are terrific for taking to gatherings because it seems inevitable these days that there will be at least one person who is gluten free.
But dietary requirements aside, these cookies keep really well for up to 10 days in a super airtight container which is another reason they are so great. Especially if you opt to do the (not really optional!) coating of almond flakes because it keeps the outside nice and crisp. Whereas without, the crust tends to get softer with time.
Either way though, with or without the almond crust, they are delicious! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli) – gluten free!
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond meal or blanched ground almonds (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup caster / superfine sugar (Note 2)
- 2 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 3 drops natural almond extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dried cherries , chopped (Note 3)
- 2 egg whites , at room temperature (from 2 large eggs, Note 4)
- 2 tsp honey
Almond Coating (optional, Note 5):
- 1 Extra egg white
- 1 1/2 cups flaked almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F (170°C fan). Line 2 trays with baking/parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Place the almond meal, sugar, zest, almond extract and salt in a bowl. Whisk together until zest and almond extract is evenly distributed. Add the cherries and set aside
- Beat eggs whites: Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the egg whites and honey to soft peaks (Note 5). About 2 minutes on Speed 8 of a handheld beater, or 1 1/2 minutes on Speed 6 of a stand mixer.
- Fold the beaten egg whites gently into the almond mixture. You will seemingly knock most of the air out of the meringue, that's ok! (You actually haven't 🙂 ).
Forming & Coating Cookies:
- Place Extra egg white in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until foamy. Place flaked almonds in another bowl.
- Form 2.5cm/1" balls: Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a rough ball (2.5cm/1" ball). I do this using 2 eating spoons – we don't need perfect balls here.
- Coat in egg whites: Drop the ball into foamy egg whites. Use 2 forks to turn to coat, then pick up and place in the flaked almonds.
- Almond coating: Coat cookies with the almonds, pressing them on to cover as completely as you can. Don't worry if you get some double layers or pieces sticking out – no need to be neat or thorough here!
- Bake 13 minutes: Place on prepared tray 2.5cm / 1" apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Start checking at 12 minutes to be sure the nuts aren’t burning
- Cool: Transfer to rack to cool completely before serving.
- Store: Store in an airtight container. They last up to 10 days in a storage container or can be frozen
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Working on a new recipe, comparing various versions. Dozer’s keen to get involved.😂
Can you roll them in icing sugar
instead of egg white and almonds?
Yes Vini, you can! I just like the crunch of the almonds! N x
Do you think we could soak the cherries in amaretto to plump them, and then dry them off with a paper towel before making the cookies? I do this with dried fruit when making oatmeal cookies.
Hi – yes I think that would be fine as long as they are not too wet when added to the mixture. N x
Just some info; Actually Almond extract is more commonly made from drupe seeds which are the pits from apricot or peach seeds “..Pure almond extract is made from three primary ingredients: alcohol, water, and bitter almond oil. The last is extracted from almonds or (more frequently) their kin, drupes, the botanical term for stone fruits such as peaches and apricots. The almond flavor comes from benzaldehyde, a substance in the kernels of drupes…”
I’ve made these cookies many times since the recipe was first published. My family loves them. I know there were some discussion about the authenticity and/or name of the cookies. However, today I found these cookies in a family bakery in Rome and they were almost exactly like the cookies from Nagi’s recipe. The only exception was that they were slightly more dense and had a whole dried cherry in the center. Whatever they are called, this recipe is a keeper!!!
This is the best almond cookie I have ever tasted, the one that made me love almonds like never before! Thank you so much, Nagi, my family loves it and I have made it at least five times in the past three weeks, and plan on making it several times more!
To everyone who has been looking for XYZ-free desserts: THIS ONE IS THE BEST. Besides gluten-free and dairy-free, it can be made sugarfree as well: I substituted the sugar for an equal amount of eritritol, and I was the only one who could taste the difference! This is an absolute game changer!
Nagi, I only have one question to ask you, so I hope you’ll see this: I was wondering if you could take this “dough” after incorporating the egg whites whipped with honey, and use it as a filling. Say, could I make a cookie or dough base, parbake it, spread the ricciarelli dough on top as an almond filling, and bake it till done – and if so, how much time do you think the baking might take? Would it be roughly the same or longer? Because I am wondering if I could turn it into a cake/tartlet for my mother’s birthday in October.
Thank you so much in advance, and bless you!
I used 1/2 the sugar and sour dried cherries.
Absolutely delicious!
Sounds great Kaz! N x
Hi Nagi,
How do you make the almond flakes – do you soak it overnight peel and then cut or can I cut it directly
Thanks,
Mayanka
I have always called these type of almonds sliced almonds. Found at local Krogers or Walmart baking section here in Arkansas.
YUM!!!
Didn’t have almond essence, used vanilla.
Ran out of almond flakes and just added extra zest on top of the last few.
All are delicious.
Perfect Wendy!! N x
I make my own nut milk… hazlenut at the minute… but this is a really good way to use up the pulp… am running out of things to use it with… I’ve made hazlenut butter, hazlenut chocolate spread, chocolate and hazlenut cookies…. Next al try these 😊😊😊
Hi Nagi
Could I use frozen egg whites??
I honestly haven’t tried sorry! I’m sure you could!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Any tips on where to find dried cherries in Sydney? (eastern suburbs?) I can’t seem to find them online at coles or woollies etc..
Really wanna try making these!
Hi Kieran, whole food stores like Scoop/Source generally have them too! N x
Hi! Can I use cocoa powder in this recipe? My dad loves chocolate ricciarelli and I’m wondering if using this recipe with the added cocoa will be similar.
Hi Liz, it’s something I’d need to test sorry as cocoa will affect the consistency. N x
Made a double batch of these tonight as a practice run for a team lunch at work since one of my colleagues is gluten free and they are delicious. I made one batch plain without the cherries and in the other batch I put some leftover barberries that I had from making your crispy Persian rice dish. They go so nicely in these because of how tangy they are.
I made these for my dad who is very fussy but loves everything almond! He loved loved these, i didnt have dried fruit so all almond, delicious!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m so glad he enjoyed them Tans!! N x
the middle came out a bit undercooked but I couldnt leave them in longer as the almond flakes would burn. next time going to try a slightly lower temprerature. couldnt get dried cherries so I used currants. Don’t like almond essence so I used vanilla. Both were good substitutes..
Hi Marcus, sorry you had issues, sounds like your oven must run a little hot. Try lowering the temp and cooking a couple of minutes longer instead! N x
I always love your recipes, but this one was Amazing! Not too sweet, perfect amount of almond, all while light and fluffy. I burned my mouth with the first bite out of the oven… and did it with the second too because I couldn’t stop myself (and it was totally worth it!).
I didn’t have lemon zest, so used ~1 T fresh lemon juice. It worked great.
Thanks for all the yummy homemade goodness, Nagi!!
Hi Nagi,
Can the dough be frozen for later use? Can the cookies be frozen? They look delicious.
all i can say is wow!! the texture was brilliant (chewy + crispy) and it wasn’t too sweet either, my family’s already asking me to make more hahah. recipe is also super easy to follow, although i did have to bake for an extra few minutes to ensure the insides weren’t too moist. didn’t affect the cookie in any way though, it was still delish! thank you nagi 🙂
All I can say is OMG!!!! Delicious and easy. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
Third time I made this. Most requested afternoon tea at work during our ward meeting. Couldn’t find dried cherries so I use the ocean spray brand Craisins.
These are incredible! I used Monk Fruit sweetener to lower the carbs for my diabetic husband and they were perfect!
Awesome Jeanne, glad you and your husband enjoyed them! – Nxx