Description
Ricciarelli from Siena cradles traditional Italian almond sweetness in a delicate cookie that melts right into your mouth. Dusted with powdered sugar, these tender treats bring warmth from Tuscany’s rich baking heritage straight to your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 2 large egg whites
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Flavoring and Seasoning:
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine 2 ½ cups almond flour with 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar in a mixing bowl, crushing any lumps with a spatula until the mixture looks completely uniform.
- Separate egg whites in a clean bowl and whip them vigorously until soft, billowy peaks emerge when lifting the whisk.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the egg whites, then gently fold them into the almond flour mixture.
- Use your hands to knead the dough, working it until the texture becomes smooth and holds together without crumbling.
- Shape the dough into small oval cookies measuring roughly 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, using your palms to create consistent pieces.
- Roll each cookie generously in ½ cup powdered sugar, ensuring a complete white coating covers every surface.
- Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, providing room for potential slight expansion.
- Chill the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help the cookies maintain their delicate shape during baking.
- Heat the oven to 325°F and bake the chilled cookies for 12-15 minutes, watching for lightly golden edges while keeping centers tender.
- Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer them carefully to a wire rack for complete cooling.
Notes
- Check almond flour freshness to ensure a light, crisp texture with maximum flavor depth.
- Whip egg whites precisely to soft peaks for the ideal cookie structure and delicate crumb.
- Rest the shaped cookies in the refrigerator before baking helps prevent spreading and maintains their classic oval shape.
- For gluten-free diets, these naturally gluten-free cookies are perfect without any recipe modifications.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 138 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 30 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 11 mg