Ricciarelli - Italian Almond Cookies (Gluten-Free)
A simple recipe for one of Italy's best cookies, straight from Siena.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (not large or extra large - just regular) room temperature
- 1 drop lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (150 g), plus ½ to 1 cup for dusting
- 2 cups + 1 tbsp almond flour or whole blanched almonds (skins removed), ground finely (200g total)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- grated zest of 1 orange
- pinch of salt
- rice flour
Instructions
- Whisk the egg whites with just a drop of lemon juice until foamy, a minute or two.
- Add the powdered sugar, almond flour, extracts and orange zest and mix well until the dough comes together. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C). Meanwhile, lightly dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll the dough into a log, about 1 inch in diameter. If you find the dough is too sticky to handle, the egg whites may have been a little big. Add a touch of rice flour to bind things together.
- Slice even rounds, about 20-25.
- Shape the dough with your hands into an oval shape, with slightly pointed ends, about ⅓ inch (1 cm) thick. If the dough is sticking, slightly wet your hands. Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, spaced about 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart.
- Lightly wet your hands with water and ever so lightly pat each cookie. Gently roll the shaped cooking in the remaining powdered sugar (or sift it directly onto the cookies already placed on the baking sheet) and return to the baking sheet or generously sift the powdered sugar directly on top of the cookies.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes. They will still be soft and moist and seem undercooked but they will set to the correct consistency when cool.
Notes
- Plan accordingly: the dough needs to rest at least 12 hours in the fridge before being shaped into cookies and baked.
- The size of the eggs with determine how sticky the dough is. If you find it's too sticky to handle, the egg whites may have been a little big. Add a touch of rice flour to bind things together.
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- Use an oven thermometer to ensure your oven temperature is accurate
- I highly recommend when baking to measure ingredients with a scale for even more accurately baked goods, including these cookies.
- These cookies get better as they age so plan on making them the day before you are ready to serve them.
- Ricciarelli keep very well, for up to 1 month in an airtight container, making ideal holiday gifts!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!