Ricciarelli
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Ricciarelli are chewy Italian almond cookies that originated from Siena. They’re easy to make, gluten free and perfect for Christmas!
Ricciarelli are traditional almond cookies from Siena in Tuscany, Italy. They have a unique soft and chewy texture that is similar to amaretti cookies. They have a strong almond flavor with hints of citrus and are naturally gluten free thanks to the almond flour. They’re so easy to make and are perfect for Christmas!
Looking for more Italian recipes? Try my Small Batch Focaccia or Maritozzi!
Ingredient Breakdown
Almond flour – provides structure and flavor.
Confectioners’ sugar – provides texture and sweetness. Also used for rolling the cookies in to give them a cracked surface.
Lemon/orange zest – enhances flavor.
Baking powder – helps the cookies rise.
Salt – enhances flavor.
Lemon/orange juice – enhances flavor and helps stabilize meringue.
Egg whites – whipped into a meringue to give cookies structure and texture.
Almond and vanilla extracts – enhances flavor. Always use pure almond/vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
How To Make Ricciarelli
1. Sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon/orange zest, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and lemon/orange juice on medium speed until they form stiff peaks.
3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites in 2-3 batches then fold in the almond and vanilla extracts.
4. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar. Generously cover the cookie dough in sugar then shape into an oval and place on a baking sheet.
5. Let shaped cookie dough dry out on the baking sheet for 1 hour then pre crack the cookies by squeezing the ends of the ovals until cracks form.
6. Bake cookies at 300°F for 20 minutes then cool on the baking sheet. Store Ricciarelli in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Pro Tips For Ricciarelli
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Don’t skip drying the shaped cookie dough/pre cracking them/coating them in confectioners’ sugar! These steps help to give the ricciarelli their cracked appearance while baking.
Recipes To Use Up Leftover Egg Yolks
- Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Apple Blondies
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oreo Cinnamon Rolls
- Small Batch Sugar Cookies
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Ricciarelli
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Cookie scoop (I use a 1 tablespoon scoop)
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 200 g (2 cups + 1 tbsp) almond flour
- 200 g (1 2/3 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp lemon/orange zest
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 (60g) egg whites (save the yolks for another recipe!)
- ½ tsp lemon/orange juice
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift the almond flour and confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon/orange zest, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and lemon/orange juice on medium speed until they form stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites in 2-3 batches then fold in the almond and vanilla extracts.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Generously cover the cookie dough in sugar then shape into an oval and place on a baking sheet.
- Let shaped cookie dough dry out on the baking sheet for 1 hour then pre crack the cookies by squeezing the ends of the ovals until cracks form.
- Preheat oven to 300°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Bake cookies for 20 minutes then cool on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Store Ricciarelli in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
