philosokitchen

an italian cook around the world

You are here: Home / Recipes / Desserts / TRADITIONAL SICILIAN ALMOND COOKIES

TRADITIONAL SICILIAN ALMOND COOKIES

by 100 Comments

The almond cookies are “a must” of the Sicilian culinary tradition. They are prepared with the Almond paste, called “pasta reale” in Sicily (King’s paste).

The legend wants that the recipe was created in the XII century in the convent of the “Martorana” in Palermo and that his name is due to his goodness (worthy of a King!).

These delicious cookies are as good as easy to do! Accompany them with a good tea, coffee or a glass of Marsala, the typical Sicilian sweet wine.

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries
If you like this recipe, please click here, leave a comment and vote 5 stars!
A simple action to help the growth of this blog. 🙂

 


 

almond-cookies-2

INGREDIENTS

click on the links and find out my favorites!

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries

PREPARE THE ALMOND PASTE

First of all, sift the powdered sugar, then mix the sugar with the almond flour in a large bowl. After that, add the grated zests of half lemon and half orange into the bowl, 3 drops of vanilla extract. Finally, mix all the ingredients with the whites of 3 large eggs lightly beaten.

egg white

Work the dough until it is compact and homogeneous, then pour it into a pastry bag provided with a large decorating tip. Place the pastry bag into the refrigerator 20 minutes.

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries

making the almond cookies

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. With the pastry bag, form cookies about 2 inches wide right on the parchment paper, add half Maraschino Cherry on the top of each cookie then put the drip pan in the fridge for at least 8 hours (it’s easy to prepare the almond cookies the night before for the following day!).

The rest in the fridge is critical because the cookies don’t sag while cooking.

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries

 

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries

making the almond cookies

When the almond cookies are ready to be cooked, set the oven to 350° F and bake the cookies by taking them directly from the fridge.

Bake the cookies 10-15 minutes, turning the dripping pan halfway through cooking, until they are golden brown. Finally, operate the broil a few minutes, until the cookies are golden!

The almond cookies should be crispy outside and soft inside. Serve the almond cookies with a good tea, coffee or a glass of Italian dessert wine.

ALMOND COOKIES traditional Sicilian recipe with Maraschino cherries

CHOCOLATE FUDGE MUFFIN with blueberries whipped cream

CHOCOLATE FUDGE MUFFIN with blueberries whipped cream

PRINTABLE VERSION

Yield: 5

TRADITIONAL SICILIAN ALMOND COOKIES

TRADITIONAL SICILIAN ALMOND COOKIES

The almond cookies are "a must" of the Sicilian culinary tradition. They are prepared with the Almond paste, called "pasta reale" in Sicily (King's paste).

The legend wants that the recipe was created in the XII century in the convent of the "Martorana" in Palermo and that his name is due to his goodness (worthy of a King!).

These delicious cookies are as good as easy to do! Accompany them with a good tea, coffee or a glass of Marsala, the typical Sicilian sweet wine.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

PREPARE THE ALMOND PASTE

  1. First of all, sift the powdered sugar, then mix the sugar with the almond flour in a large bowl.
  2. After that, add the grated zests of half lemon and half orange into the bowl, 3 drops of vanilla extract. Finally, mix all the ingredients with the whites of 3 large eggs lightly beaten.

EGG WHITES

  1. Work the dough until it is compact and homogeneous, then pour it into a pastry bag provided with a large decorating tip.
  2. Place the pastry bag into the refrigerator 20 minutes.

MAKING THE ALMOND COOKIES

  1. Line a drip pan with parchment paper. With the pastry bag, form cookies about 2 inches wide right on the parchment paper, add half Maraschino Cherry on the top of each cookie.
  2. Then, put the drip pan in the fridge for at least 8 hours (it’s easy to prepare the almond cookies the night before for the following day!).
  3. The rest in the fridge is critical because the cookies don’t sag while cooking.

ALMOND COOKIES INTO THE OVEN!

  1. When the almond cookies are ready to be cooked, set the oven to 350° F and bake the cookies by taking them directly from the fridge. Bake the cookies 10-15 minutes, turning the dripping pan halfway through cooking, until they are golden brown.
  2. After that, operate the broil a few minutes, until the cookies are golden! The almond cookies should be crispy outside and soft inside.
  3. Finally, serve the almond cookies with a good tea, coffee or a glass of Italian Marsala wine.

Nutrition Information

Yield

5

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 72 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 34mg Carbohydrates 16g Net Carbohydrates 0g Fiber 1g Sugar 14g Sugar Alcohols 0g Protein 2g
The writers and publishers of this blog are not nutritionists or registered dietitians. All information presented and written within our blog are intended for informational purposes only. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. The writers and publishers of this blog are not responsible for adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any recipes or suggestions herein or hereafter. Under no circumstances will this blog or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information given by this site. By using this blog and its content, you agree to these terms.
© Filippo Trapella - philosokitchen.com
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Cookies

 

Comments

      • Very good tasting cookie but mine were as flat as pancakes. I did exactly what the recipe said to do. Help

        Reply

        • Hi Sharon, I’m sorry for that!
          Where they flat before or after baked? If they were flat before baking, probably the drought was not firm enough: try to add a little more almonds flour and let me know. Remember: they need the rest into the fridge and baked immediately after the rest.

          Happy cooking 🙂

          F.

          Reply

  2. Love Love Love these cookies!!!! I work at an Italian bakery while attending high school and these were my very favorite! At Christmas time I switched favorites to Pinyolate( phonetic spelling). They were little balls of sweet dough, stacked atop one another, they were dipped in a honey syrup. I guess they are also known as strufoli. Loved working there. Very good people. We became like family.

    Reply

    • Hi Lucille, thanks for your comment!
      The almond flour is one of the ingredients used to prepare the almond paste. In this recipe, I describe the process to make the almond paste cookies starting from the flour.

      Reply

  7. Hi,
    I just found this recipe, we all love almond paste cookies. I’m confused though, the earlier part of your description says almond flour, then the inside printed recipe says paste,then the “print recipe” states almond flavor?
    Do you mean almond flour? Also, is there any almond extract in the mix? If it’s almond paste, how many ounces for the batch? usually the “bakery style” Italian almond horns or cookies have paste.
    Well, I’ll wait to hear before I waste the ingredients.
    Thanks, Debbie

    Reply

    • Hi Debbie,
      Thanks for noticing!
      Actually “flavor” is a typo, I’m sorry about that. The dough is made with almond flour, whites, sugar, orange and lemon grated skins, and vanilla extract.
      I often do these cookies for my friends, and sometimes I replace the vanilla extract with anise extract: delicious as well!

      Thanks again for your help

      Filippo

      Reply

  9. Hi,
    Just wondering does the lightly beaten egg whites refer to a soft peak or egg whites that just begin to foam?
    Thanks!
    Just don’t want to stuff it up!

    Reply

    • Hi Gen,
      Beat the whites with a fork until they are smooth and clear with a little foam, but still liquid, with a density that permits to incorporate the almond flour easily.
      Let me know if you need any more suggestions 🙂

      Reply

      • Thanks for answering that question (and thanks for asking it, Gen)–I was wondering the same thing!!

        Reply

  12. I don’t understand this recipe. The comments says it uses almond paste but only almond flour is in the ingredients. What am I missing?

    Reply

    • Hi Lucia,
      The almond paste is composed by the mixture of almond flour, sugar and whites. The process is described in the step “PREPARE THE DOUGH”: I just renamed this paragraph into “PREPARE THE ALMOND PASTE” to be more clear.

      Happy cooking 🙂

      Reply

  13. I made this recipe with difficulty but o far all my tasters think it is a keeper. I will be trying it again and seeing if I can make the dough less still than it was the first time. Taste is very good and the cookie is not very sweet, the way an Italian cookie is supposed to be

    Reply

    • Hi Lucia,
      I’m very happy you liked the taste of these cookies! Just a suggestion: with a too soft dough could be difficult maintaining the shape of the cookies. Let me updated about your experimentation 🙂

      Reply

  15. Can you shorten the 8hrs in the fridge by placing them in the freezer? Also what # pastry tip am I using on the bag? Is the orange Traditional or can I use something else? Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Mitshella,
      You can try to lower the temperature of your fridge and try to bake a couple of cookies after a few hours and see if these mantain their shape.

      I never tried to store them in the freezer, but I imagine they could stay in just a few minutes, and bake them before they froze.

      Let me know how it goes 🙂

      Reply

  17. I noticed several people ask what time you used. The closest I see to an answer is a star tip. Is there a number on your tip? Thank you, Tony

    Reply

  20. Hi would it be possible to use store baught egg whites ? & if so Do you think 3/4 cup would do it ?

    Reply

    • Hi Chalom,
      I cracked three eggs, and the whites weigh 96 g that correspond to 0.43 cups. So I would suggest to use 1/2 cup of whites and add one more tbsp of almond flour, if necessary 🙂

      Reply

    • Hi Janet,
      my oven requires a few minutes of top broil to golden brown the cookie perfectly. Just take a look at your cookies once cooked to decide if it is necessary or less. Baking is a very personal matter between the cook and his oven 😉

      Reply

  23. could these be made with pre-made almond paste? and if so, what ingredients get added to it (ie just egg whites and zest?)

    Reply

    • Hi Laura,
      I never tried to use pre-made almond paste, but I suppose it is possible: just read the ingredients on the box and possibly add what it is missing (lemon zest, vanilla, etc.)

      Happy holidays 🙂

      Reply

  26. Can these be made in advance and how do you store them once made? Air tight container on the countertop or do they need to be refrigerated?

    Reply

  31. Gracias por compartir recetas, me gusta todo lo relacionado con la repostería.
    Me encantan las recetas con almendras.

    Un saludo

    Pilar Llera

    Reply

  32. When you put the dough in the fridge for 8 hrs before you put it in the oven, do you cover them? The cookies look so delicious!

    Reply

  33. Can you use almond paste instead of almond flour? I’ve never heard of these made with almond flour. Usually it is almond paste, confectionary sugar and egg whites.

    Reply

    • Hi Rosanne,

      Yes, you can. In the first part of my recipe is basically described how to make homemade almond paste. I prefer starting from almond flour because it’s not difficult and I have the complete control of the ingredients.

      Happy cooking 🙂

      F.

      Reply

    • Hi Mary,

      Making balls with this dough, it is not so easy. The pastry bag is ever the best option, but if you have not, try to shape the cookies with the help of a spoon.

      Happy cooking!

      F.

      Reply

  44. Won’t know how to rate it until I make them! Just looking to use up almond flour and maraschino cherries.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.