Chewy Almond Cookies
These almond cookies are Italian in spirit: crackled and snowy with powdered sugar outside, soft, moist and chewy like marzipan inside. They contain only ground almonds, sugar and egg whites, so they're naturally gluten-free and butter-free. We like a little lemon zest to keep the flavour fresh.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 46 min
- Servings
- 20
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 125 kcal
Ingredients
-
What to use instead
Swap the almond extract for 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp amaretto.
Makes: 20 cookies, 4 cm
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Mix almonds and sugar
In a bowl, mix the almond flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest, rubbing out any lumps with your fingers.
-
Step 2: Whisk the whites
Whisk the egg whites with the almond extract to soft peaks: they should be fluffy but still curl over at the tip.
-
Step 3: Make the dough
Fold the whites into the almond mixture with a spatula, then with your hands, into a sticky, dense dough like marzipan. Let it rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 170°C (340°F).
-
Step 4: Roll in sugar
With damp hands, roll the dough into balls of about 25 g, coat them generously in powdered sugar and place 3 cm apart on a lined baking sheet. Pinch each ball gently from the top with two fingers.
-
Step 5: Bake the cookies
Bake for 14–16 minutes, until the surface has cracked and the bottoms and the edges of the cracks are barely golden. They should still feel soft when pressed.
-
Step 6: Cool on the tray
Leave to cool completely on the tray: they're very soft when hot and turn springy and chewy as they cool.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Use almond flour made from blanched almonds for pale, even cookies; flour with skins gives a darker, coarser result.
-
Swap
Swap the almond extract for 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp amaretto.
-
Variation
Use orange zest instead of lemon, or press a whole almond into each ball before baking.
-
Storage
Keep in an airtight jar for up to a week; they stay soft for a long time and the almond flavour deepens.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 20 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 125 kcal | 2,500 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 60 g |
| Fat | 6 g | 120 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g | 260 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
