Sicilian almond cookies
Sicilian almond cookies are a surprise with their consistency and taste. They have a thin, crispy top layer. Biting into them reveals the soft and moist inside, which tastes of marzipan. Lemon provides a subtle aroma. The pizzicotti di pasta di mandorle with their cracked pattern are also a real eye-catcher on the coffee table. The Italian almond paste cookies are very easy to make with just a few ingredients using this recipe.
Servings 15 cookies
Ingredients
- approx. 170 g almond flour
- 1 egg white
- 80 g sugar
- zest of 1/2 organic lemon
- zest of 1/2 organic orange
- 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- approx. 30 g powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Mix sugar, lemon zest and orange zest thoroughly in a mixing bowl using a silicone spatula so that the sugar absorbs the citrus flavor.
- Using a whisk, briefly beat egg white with lemon juice until frothy.
- Add the egg white to the sugar and mix.
- Add almond flour in batches and knead into a malleable, slightly sticky dough, similar to a marzipan paste.
- Cover and chill the almond dough for approx. 40 minutes.
- Quickly form small balls (approx. 20 g each) from the almond dough and roll them in powdered sugar.
- Lightly press each almond ball together with your thumb and forefinger to create a hollow in the middle.
- Spread the cookies out on a baking tray lined with baking paper with a little space between them and bake in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for approx. 12 minutes.
- Leave the Sicilian almond cookies to cool on the baking tray.
Notes
- Instead of using almond flour, you can use whole blanched almonds and ground them yourself.
- You can flavor the almond dough with just lemon zest or just orange zest, depending on your taste. Instead of lemon juice, you can use orange blossom water, for example.
- The amount of almond flour specified may vary. Gradually add the almond flour to the egg white sugar mixture until you have a slightly sticky and malleable mixture.
- Leave the almond dough to cool well. This will make it barely sticky and easy to roll into balls.
- Take note of the detailed tips and tricks for making the Italian almond paste cookies at the top of the article.