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.
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- 2 cups + 2 tbsp (200 gr) almond flour
- 1 cup + 10 tbsp (200 gr) powdered sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 orange
- 1/2 lemon
- 10 maraschino cherries
- 3 drops pure vanilla extract
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.
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.
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.
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 Marsala wine.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE MUFFIN with blueberries whipped cream
PRINTABLE VERSION
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp (200 gr) almond flour
- 1 cup + 10 tbsp (200 gr) powdered sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 orange
- 1/2 lemon
- 10 Maraschino cherries
- 3 drops pure vanilla extract
- 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. - MAKING THE ALMOND COOKIES
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 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 INTO THE OVEN!
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 Marsala wine. 
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JoAnn says
02/01/2017 at 12:49 pmLove these cookies! Ate them growing up in NY. But then I am Sicilian and Napolitano!! Thanks for pinning this recipe
Filippo Trapella says
02/01/2017 at 12:54 pmThanks a lot JoAnn, I’m glad you liked them! 🙂
Sharon says
07/28/2018 at 6:19 pmVery good tasting cookie but mine were as flat as pancakes. I did exactly what the recipe said to do. Help
Filippo Trapella says
07/28/2018 at 6:32 pmHi 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.
S Nunez says
02/04/2017 at 12:21 pmLove 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.
Filippo Trapella says
02/05/2017 at 4:24 pmThanks, I love Struffoli too! I want to publish the recipe as soon as possible!
Kay Tucker says
03/27/2017 at 5:55 pmThese are my favorite cookies!
Kam says
07/07/2017 at 3:25 pmWhat tip did you use? They look delicious!
Filippo Trapella says
07/07/2017 at 3:30 pmThanks Kam: just egg whites, almond flour and sugar
Kam says
07/07/2017 at 9:56 pmWhat tip on the pastry bag ?
Ursula Margulski says
12/12/2017 at 4:47 pmIt is the extra large open star.
Lucille Furey says
07/10/2017 at 2:01 pmIs it Almond flour or Almond paste? Your post has conflicting terms.
Filippo Trapella says
07/10/2017 at 5:35 pmHi 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.
Debbie says
07/14/2017 at 9:40 amHi,
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
Filippo Trapella says
07/14/2017 at 9:56 amHi 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
Connie says
08/14/2017 at 9:05 pmWill be trying these soon sound wonderful! Thanks for the recipe
Gen says
08/24/2017 at 10:35 amHi,
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!
Filippo Trapella says
08/24/2017 at 11:02 amHi 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 🙂
Cadence Purdy says
12/13/2018 at 9:40 pmThanks for answering that question (and thanks for asking it, Gen)–I was wondering the same thing!!
Rosanna says
08/25/2017 at 3:33 amHi I would like the recipe for the amaretti biscuits please.
Filippo Trapella says
08/25/2017 at 4:27 amHi Rosanna,
Hope to make them soon
Michelle says
08/27/2017 at 4:48 pmI would like to make soon for party time
Filippo Trapella says
08/27/2017 at 6:03 pmCool Michelle!
Let me know If you’ll like them
Lucia says
10/26/2017 at 2:27 pmI don’t understand this recipe. The comments says it uses almond paste but only almond flour is in the ingredients. What am I missing?
Filippo Trapella says
10/26/2017 at 4:16 pmHi 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 🙂
Lucia says
10/31/2017 at 12:06 pmI 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
Filippo Trapella says
10/31/2017 at 1:57 pmHi 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 🙂
LINDA TOTH says
11/04/2017 at 7:53 amCan you clarify what a drip pan is?
Filippo Trapella says
11/04/2017 at 8:28 amHi Linda,
It is a baking tray. A baking sheet works great as well 🙂
Mitshella says
11/19/2017 at 11:33 amCan 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
Filippo Trapella says
11/19/2017 at 2:02 pmHi 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 🙂
Stella says
11/25/2017 at 10:34 amI was wondering how.many cookies this recipe makes. Also which tip did you use to pipe the cookies?
Filippo Trapella says
11/25/2017 at 10:57 amHi Stella,
You can make about 20 cookies depending on the size you prefer. Commonly I use a star tip or a close-star tip.
Happy cooking
Stella says
12/05/2017 at 6:32 pmThanks!!!! Can’t wait to try them. Do they freeze well?
Filippo Trapella says
12/05/2017 at 6:38 pmHi Stella,
Thanks for commenting, hope you’ll enjoy them 🙂
I never tried to freeze the cookies or the dough, but I thinks they would become too mushy.
Happy cooking!
F.
Tony says
12/07/2017 at 2:15 pmI 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
Filippo Trapella says
12/07/2017 at 3:32 pmHi Tony, thanks for commenting!
To prepare this cookies, I used a 1M open star tip.
Happy cooking!
F.
Tony says
12/07/2017 at 2:17 pmSorry that should have been “tip” not “time”
BEV says
12/09/2017 at 10:53 amwHAT IS ALMOND FLOUR?
Filippo Trapella says
12/09/2017 at 12:29 pmHi Ben,
Almond flour is simply made from ground sweet almonds. You can make homemade or simply buy at the grocery or online.
Happy cooking!
F.
Chalom says
12/14/2017 at 3:12 pmHi would it be possible to use store baught egg whites ? & if so Do you think 3/4 cup would do it ?
Filippo Trapella says
12/14/2017 at 4:57 pmHi 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 🙂
Janet scafidi says
12/14/2017 at 4:20 pmDo you actually use the TOP broiler after you bake them?
Filippo Trapella says
12/14/2017 at 5:02 pmHi 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 😉
Carol says
12/15/2017 at 9:04 amItalian at Heart!
Filippo Trapella says
12/15/2017 at 9:15 amThank you 🙂
laura says
12/19/2017 at 12:01 pmcould these be made with pre-made almond paste? and if so, what ingredients get added to it (ie just egg whites and zest?)
Filippo Trapella says
12/19/2017 at 1:23 pmHi 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 🙂
Stephany says
12/21/2017 at 12:34 amGoing to try these
Stephany says
12/21/2017 at 12:35 amI’m going to try these.
yedney says
05/09/2018 at 2:38 amCan 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?
Filippo Trapella says
05/09/2018 at 11:23 amHi Yedney,
Yes, you can store them into an air tight container up to 5 to 7 days, depending on the evironmental conditions.
Happy cooking 🙂
Amara omar says
05/22/2018 at 5:29 amCest joli je les aimer trop bon
Filippo Trapella says
05/22/2018 at 1:01 pmMercí Amara 🙂
Victoria says
06/03/2018 at 8:35 amGreat recipe, easy to follow and has a taste that reminds me of Palermo!
Filippo Trapella says
06/03/2018 at 8:51 amThanks for your words Victoria!
Happy cooking 🙂
Anna says
06/23/2018 at 3:25 amThese are easy to make and very delicious.
Filippo Trapella says
06/23/2018 at 3:31 amthank you Anna!
Happy cooking 🙂
Rosa Flores says
06/25/2018 at 8:31 pmGreat recipe!!! I will be looking for more!! Thanks so much!!
Filippo Trapella says
06/26/2018 at 2:32 amThank you Rosa, I’m working on it 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Pilar says
06/30/2018 at 6:23 pmGracias por compartir recetas, me gusta todo lo relacionado con la repostería.
Me encantan las recetas con almendras.
Un saludo
Pilar Llera
Filippo Trapella says
07/01/2018 at 1:45 amGracias Pilar,
Happy cooking 🙂
Stella says
06/30/2018 at 11:00 pmWhen 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!
Filippo Trapella says
07/01/2018 at 1:50 amHi Stella,
If you prefer, just cover them with a piece of wax or parchment paper.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Rosanne says
07/23/2018 at 10:57 pmCan 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.
Filippo Trapella says
07/24/2018 at 6:27 amHi 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.
Douglas Reindl says
08/05/2018 at 12:30 pmI can’t wait to try it!
Filippo Trapella says
08/05/2018 at 1:48 pmCool, let me know Douglas 🙂
Douglas Reindl says
08/05/2018 at 12:31 pmI want to make it for my Italian family!
Mary says
08/28/2018 at 12:31 amCan these be rolled into small balls and make a thumbprint to put the cherry into ?
Filippo Trapella says
08/28/2018 at 12:42 pmHi 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.
Odi says
08/28/2018 at 2:11 pmHi
Can I substitute the powder sugar with honey or maple?
Filippo Trapella says
08/28/2018 at 3:13 pmHi Odi,
In theory you can, but I never tried. Certainly, You need to modify the amount of almond flour to obtain the right density.
Happy cooking 🙂
F
Encarna says
10/17/2018 at 6:16 pmBuonissime!!!
Sicilia, i siciliani sono bravissimi cucinando.
Filippo Trapella says
10/17/2018 at 6:42 pmGrazie Encarna!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
wayne says
10/31/2018 at 1:56 amgreat easy recipe thanks
Filippo Trapella says
10/31/2018 at 8:02 amThank for your words Wayne 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Ruth says
11/04/2018 at 8:52 pmCan’t wait to make them
Filippo Trapella says
11/04/2018 at 10:59 pmCool Ruth, let me know 🙂
sharon knott says
11/28/2018 at 3:50 pmgoing to try sounds yummy
Filippo Trapella says
11/28/2018 at 4:02 pmNice Sharon!
Let me know if you’ll like them 🙂
F.
Lili says
12/01/2018 at 11:46 amHi,
Tnx for sharing this delicious recipe. I have a question for you, could we add some butter?
Filippo Trapella says
12/02/2018 at 2:52 pmThank you Lili!
Concerning the butter, I never tried
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Carol says
12/12/2018 at 9:14 amWhat is almond flour and where to get it?
Filippo Trapella says
12/12/2018 at 9:48 amHi Carol,
Almond flour is made with finely ground sweet almonds. You can find it in specialized groceries and online: https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Super-Fine-Almond/dp/B01N9PWYCV/ref=sr_1_15_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1544626079&sr=1-15&keywords=almond+flour
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Abby Pfennig says
12/13/2018 at 12:00 pmWon’t know how to rate it until I make them! Just looking to use up almond flour and maraschino cherries.
Lorrie says
12/16/2018 at 10:43 amOh my, really need to make these cookies..y family will love them
Filippo Trapella says
12/16/2018 at 11:07 amNice,
Let me know 🙂
F.
Jim navarra says
12/25/2018 at 12:51 pmJim.navarra@yahoo.com
These some of my favorite family cookies too!
Filippo Trapella says
12/25/2018 at 1:30 pmThank you Jim!
Marty Christmas 🙂
F.