The easiest Italian Almond Cookies also know as Ricciarelli will transport you straight to the rustic streets of Siena. Soft and slightly chewy bursting with almond and orange and dusted with powdered sugar. You won't believe how low prep they are and how easy they are to whip up!
These beautiful almond cookies originate in Tuscany, specifically Siena where we used to live!
They're traditional Italian Christmas cookies but if you ever visit Siena you can buy them all year round and to be honest once you taste them you'll want to make them all year round too!
Made with ground almonds instead of flour (so they're naturally gluten free), almond extract and orange zest. They have a wonderful citrusy, almond flavour and a soft, melt in your mouth cakey texture, they're just SO delicious and pretty hard to resist.
The dough is whipped up in a matter of minutes (another reason why I love them so much) but needs to chill for at least 4 hours to overnight so make sure to prepare it in advance.
I have tested this recipe SO many times to get the perfect texture and I'm so excited I finally got it right. These are the perfect cookies to get in Christmas spirit, I hope you love them as much as I do!
What you need to make them - ingredients
To make Ricciarelli you'll need ground almonds, 2 large egg whites, white sugar, almond extract (an essential ingredient for an authentic taste), orange extract, orange zest and powdered sugar.
See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need.
How to make Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli) - step by step
Put the egg whites in a bowl with the almond and orange extract and whisk them with a fork until frothy (photo 1).
In a separate large bowl combine the ground almonds, sugar, and orange zest. Add the egg white mixture and mix together with a spoon until it starts to come together (photos 2 & 3).
Use your hands to bring the dough together to form a ball. Make sure everything is incorporated (photo 4).
Wrap the ball of cookie dough in plastic wrap (cling film UK) and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
Remove the dough from the fridge and shape it into a large log. Cut the log into ½ inch pieces and roll into balls (photos 5-8).
Press the ball of dough flat and then shape the Ricciarelli into ovals and place on the prepared baking tray. Let them air dry for 10-15 minutes before continuing to the next step. This helps the cookies crack in the oven (photos 9-11).
Dust generously with powdered sugar and bake in the oven for 20 minutes (photo 12).
Remove from the oven (they won't be browned at all and will still be soft) let them cool completely on the tray before moving.
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Eggs - make sure to use large egg whites!
- Cutting the cookies - Try to cut your cookies the same size so they cook evenly.
- Texture - Let the cookies cool completely before moving they will be very soft straight from the oven but turn into the perfect texture as they cool.
- Colour - The cookies shouldn't be brown so don't be tempted to cook them longer or turn the heat up.
- Servings suggestions - These cookies make perfect foodie gifts for Christmas or special occasions why not put them in cellophane or paper bags and tie them with a pretty ribbon.
You need to let the Ricciarelli air on the baking tray for 10-15 minutes before dusting with sugar and baking. That way they form a skin that cracks much easier!
You can adapt these cookies with whatever extracts and citrus zest you like. Vanilla and lemon would be a great alternative if you don't like a strong almond flavour.
The cookies will keep really well in a sealed container for up to 1 week or can be frozen. If freezing, thaw completely before serving.
More Italian desserts you might like
- Lady’s Kisses – Baci di Dama (Italian Cookies)
- Tiramisu – Authentic Recipe!
- Chocolate Salami (Salame di Cioccolato)
- Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake (Italian Christmas Cake)
- Bomboloni – Italian Doughnuts
If you’ve tried these Italian Almond Cookies or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
📖 Full Recipe
Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli)
Ingredients
- 2 cups ground almonds (250g)
- 2 large egg whites
- ¾ cup white sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Put the egg whites in a bowl with the almond and orange extract and whisk them with a fork until frothy.
- In a separate large bowl combine the ground almonds, sugar and orange zest. Add the egg white mixture and mix together with a spoon until it starts to come together
- Use your hands to bring the dough together to form a ball. Make sure everything is incorporated.
- Wrap the ball of cookie dough in plastic wrap (cling film UK) and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
- Pre-heat the oven to 320F (160C) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and shape it into a large log. Cut the log into ½ inch pieces and roll into balls.
- Press and shape the Ricciarelli into ovals and place on the prepared baking tray. Dust generously with powdered sugar and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven (they will still seem very moist and pale) and let them cool completely.
Notes
- Eggs - make sure to use large egg whites!
- Cutting the cookies - Try to cut your cookies the same size so they cook evenly.
- Texture - Let the cookies cool completely before moving they will be very soft straight from the oven but turn into the perfect texture as they cool.
- Colour - The cookies shouldn't be brown so don't be tempted to cook them longer or turn the heat up.
- Servings suggestions - These cookies make perfect foodie gifts for Christmas or special occasions why not put them in cellophane or paper bags and tie them with a pretty ribbon.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Sari m
Made them for Hannukah. They came out amazing. Two of our guest were gluten free. I did use castor sugar. I will make the all year. Thank you for inspiring me to cook and bake again.
Carol Sejean
Very easy & delicious! I couldn’t find orange extract so swapped for lemon extract instead and lemon zest. They smelled amazing.
Should they be stored in the fridge or at room temperature? Also, how ling will they keep? Thanks
Emily
Hi Carol, so happy you enjoyed them! They don't need to be refrigerated so can be stored at room temperature. They'll keep well in a sealed container for about 1 week.
Mary Jepsen
How many cookies make a serving? I am going to try making them sugar free. What do you think?
Mary
Emily
Hi Mary, the recipe makes around 18 cookies and the nutritional information is per cookie. I've never tried making them sugar-free before so let me know how it goes, enjoy!
Bette
The cookies came out beautiful and I love them. So easy to make. But I used almond meal from Trader Joe’s and my dough is much darker.
Emily
So happy you enjoyed them! Sounds like the almond meal was ground with the skins on, if you look out for blanched almond meal/flour which is without the skins that'll give you the lighter colour 🙂
Melanie
Can you freeze the cookie dough
Emily
I haven't tried freezing the dough (let me know if you try it) but you can freeze the baked cookies.
Deb
I have two questions.
Do w50 grams of whole almonds yield 250 to grams of ground almondsWondering how much to buy/ grind.
And... do you toast the almonds before grinding or grind them raw?
Emily
Hi Deb, I didn't grind the almonds myself I bought them pre-ground. It could be called almond meal where you are? If you're grinding them yourself you'd need 250g of whole almonds to make 250g ground almonds since the weight doesn't change, hope this helps!
Dawn
Can almond flour be used interchangeably with ground almonds?
Emily
Hi Dawn, I've never used almond flour but I'm pretty sure it'll work!
Heather
Hi I made these delicious cookies.
I however found when I took them from the fridge after overnight, the dough was wet. So when I looked at your video , I saw you were rolling the dough on something white. I assumed it was powdered sugar. I also added a bit more almonds to make it stiffer.
They came out great
Kay
I made these as gifts over the Christmas. They are easy to make if you follow the recipe and are soo delicious & moreish. I had requests for them afterwards.
Inside the rustic kitchen
I'm so happy you enjoyed them they're my favourite Christmas cookie!