hese classic Italian almond cookies are very easy to make, and extremely easy to eat :) 
Intensely nutty and perfectly sweet
Chewy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.
What more could you want in a cookie?  


I'm so excited today to share with you the recipe of my favorite Italian pasticcini alle mandorle (almond cookies).

Pasticcini are small, cookie-size fine pastries that you'd buy in an Italian pasticceria or bakery, generally served as a dessert, but also amazing next to steaming-hot cup of coffee or tea. At any time of the day, really!
Almond pasticcini are a traditional Sicilian pastry, but common in every part of Italy.  
There are a few variations of these almond cookies. You can make them with just almonds, or add a little aroma, like pistachios, amaretti, orange extract ... 

Because my trees in the backyard are exploding with juicy lemons, in today's recipe I added some lemon zest, just like they do in Puglia. If you try these, I'm sure you'll fall in love too with the flavor combination of almonds and lemons.

Truly a match made in heaven!

I recommend using almond flour for these cookies, which is made from ground blanched almonds. You could also use flour meal (generally made with whole almonds) but the result would be a little more crumbly and not as soft. 

You can decorate them on top with a whole almond, just like I did, or a candied cherry. Delicious either way.

And as a final optional-but-highly-recommended touch, roll the almond dough in powdered sugar. It gives a crispy outer shell when baking, and the fun and unique look of these cookies. 

Ready to try this recipe?! If you do, I'm sure  they'll be your new favorite Italian cookies too!


INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: about 22 cookies
    • 3 cups (300 gr) almond flour 
    • 1 cup (200 gr)  sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
    • 3 egg whites (medium eggs)
    • powder sugar for dusting, about 1/4 cup (optional)
    • about 22 whole almonds (one for each cookie)

PREPARATION:

TIME: 15 minutes to prepare, 20  minutes to bake
    Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C).
    In a large bowl, combine the almond flour with the sugar, salt and lemon zest.
    Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and the egg whites. Mix well until you get a soft and still a little stick dough. Add more egg white if the dough is too dry, or a little more almond flour if too wet
    Click Next for part 2
    ↚

    Roll the dough into balls, about one tablespoonful each.
    Roll into the powdered sugar, if you like. These cookies are also great without the white sugar on the outside.
    Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    Top each cookie with an almond.

    Click Next for part 3
    ↚

    And bake at 325° F (165° C) for about 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden at the bottom and around the edges. Let cool down and enjoy!

    Italian Almond Cookies RECIPE CARD:

    Italian Almond Cookies

    Italian Almond Cookies

    YIELD
    22 Cookies
    AUTHOR
    Manuela Mazzocco
    PREP TIME
    10 Min
    COOK TIME
    20 Min
    TOTAL TIME
    30 Min
    These classic Italian cookies are very easy to make, and extremely easy to eat :) Intensely nutty and perfectly sweet Chewy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. What more could you want in a cookie?

    INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups (300 gr) almond flour
    • 1 cup (200 gr) sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
    • 3 egg whites (medium eggs)
    • powder sugar for dusting, about 1/4 cup (optional)
    • about 22 whole almonds (one for each cookie)

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C).
    2. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour with the sugar, salt and lemon zest.
    3. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and the egg whites. Mix well until you get a soft and still a little stick dough. Add more egg white if the dough is too dry, or a little more almond flour if too wet.
    4. Roll the dough into balls, about one tablespoonful each. Roll  each into powdered sugar..
    5. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    6. Top each cookie with an almond. And bake at 325° F (165° C) for about 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden at the bottom and around the edges. Let cool down and enjoy!

    Please join our facebook group for more recipes and tipsClick Here to join


    Tags

    Post a Comment

    Post a Comment

    Previous Post Next Post