Soft, chewy, coated in powder sugar, and with an incredible flavor of almonds and orange zest. Ricciarelli are traditional Italian almond cookies from Siena in Tuscany, Italy. They're most common around the holidays and Christmas, but you can enjoy them all year long!
In my family, but I think in the northern regions of Italy in general, we don't have traditional Christmas food. Most families will make Lasagna for Christmas lunch, but the appetizers, meat or fish, and side dishes, will all vary from year to year and family to family.
But for dessert, you'll surely find on our table Panettone or Pandoro. And if you're in Siena, also a Panforte, Cavallucci, and Ricciarelli.
Cookies and sweets are one of the strongest traditions we have and strangely enough, it's not common to make these desserts at home, but most families buy them from the local trusted bakery. Being far from home though, I had to learn how to make them myself if I wanted to feel more at home during the holidays.
So I searched many recipes, trying to find the most authentic ones and testing them many times. To find the perfect flavor and consistency to match the memories of my childhood.
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What are Ricciarelli
Ricciarelli (pronounced rich-cha-rehl-lee) is a traditional cookie from Siena in Tuscany, Italy. Since 2010 also has IGP (Indication of Geographic Protection), which makes them the first confectionary product to get IGP in Europe.
They originated in the 15th century, although their exact history is uncertain. They're probably a derivation of the classic marzipan, which was imported into Italy from the East.
Through the centuries they became more and more popular and nowadays they can be found on most Tuscan and Sienese tables around the Holidays.
Ingredients
- Almond Meal. This is the main and most important ingredient to make these cookies. Buy a good quality almond meal or finely ground almonds. I do not recommend making it from scratch (although it is possible) unless you have a coffee grinder or a powerful food processor to get a very fine meal.
- Almond Extract. Almond extract is not necessary, but it will give the cookies a more intense and delicious flavor.
- Orange Zest. Orange zest can also be substituted with lemon zest or omitted completely, but I personally prefer the aroma of orange combined with almonds.
- Sugar. I tested this recipe with caster sugar and powdered sugar. Both versions came out great so I recommend either. Any other type of sugar was not tested so I cannot guarantee the result. Powdered sugar is anyway necessary to dust the top of cookies before baking.
How to make Italian Almond Cookies
It's fairly easy to make Ricciarelli cookies, but there are a couple of things to pay attention to, to get the right flavor and consistency.
In a large bowl add the room temperature egg whites with the vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest. Whisk with an electric whisk until you get a foamy consistency. It should not be stiff like meringues but very soft foam.
Add the sugar and the almond meal and mix with a spoon until you get a paste. If crumbly, knead with your hands until the dough stays compactly together.
At this point, you can wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge until you're ready to bake. Otherwise, proceed immediately to the next step.
Dust powder sugar on a cutting board and roll the dough into a thick cylinder, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick, then cut it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks.
Flatten lightly the discs on the board, then give them an oval shape and coat them well with powdered sugar.
Set the Ricciarelli on a baking sheet, then lightly wet your fingers and wet the surface of each cookie. Then dust again with abundant icing sugar to coat them well.
Bake in the preheated oven for the first 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C), then 5 minutes at 340°F (170°C), and the last 5 minutes at 320°F (160°C), let them cool completely on a rack before serving.
How to get the perfect cracked surface
The secret to getting the iconic perfect cracked surface of Ricciarelli is in 2 steps:
- After the first light coating of powder sugar, lay the cookies on the baking sheet, then lightly wet your fingers and wet the surface of each cookie (it should be just slightly wet, not drippy). Then dust again with abundant powder sugar to coat them well.
- The oven temperature is very important. I tested different baking methods and I found the best to be this: In a static oven, the first 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C), then 5 minutes at 340°F (170°C), and the last 5 minutes at 320°F (160°C). This will achieve the perfect chewy consistency and cracked surface.
Storage
If you store them in a dry cool place, these cookies will last for more than 1 week. I don't recommend freezing them as they would lose consistency and flavor.
FAQ & Tips
Yes, these cookies only have only 6 ingredients and use only almond meal, it's naturally gluten-free
Not really, almond meal it's simply ground raw almonds (which you can also make yourself at home with a spice grinder). Almond flour, instead, is made with blanched peeled almonds and it's a much finer powder with slightly less flavor, which would change the consistency and flavor of these cookies.
I only tried this recipe with caster sugar and powdered sugar. Both versions came out great so I recommend either. Any other type of sugar was not tested so I cannot guarantee the result.
Related Recipes you might like
If you like this recipe, try also these other Tuscan cookies:
📖 RECIPE
"Ricciarelli di Siena" Italian Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Egg Whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1 cup Caster Sugar
- 1 Orange Zest
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- In a large bowl, add the room temperature egg whites with the vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange zest.
- Whisk with an electric whisk until you get a foamy consistency. It should not be stiff like meringues but very soft foam.
- Add the sugar and the almond meal and mix with a spoon until you get a paste. If crumbly, knead with your hands until the dough stays compactly together.
- Dust a cutting board with powdered sugar and roll the dough into a thick cylinder, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick, then cut it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks.
- Flatten lightly the discs on the board, then give them an oval shape and coat them well with powdered sugar.
- Set the Ricciarelli on a baking sheet, then lightly wet your fingers with water and wet the surface of each cookie (it should be just slightly wet, not drippy), then dust again with abundant icing sugar to coat them well. Tap lightly with dry fingers to smoothen the sugary surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for the first 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C), then 5 minutes at 340°F (170°C) and the last 5 minutes at 320°F (160°C). Alternatively, you can bake them only at 320°F (160°C) for 18-20 minutes.
- Gently move the cookies to a cooling rack with a spatula and let them cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I was so thrilled to come across this recipe as these are the best things I have ever tasted. I tried this recipe for the first time today and it essentially turned to almond butter after I added the almond meal and sugar. Not sure how you go from a “paste” to a “dough” that is usable. Had to throw it all out.
Hi Audrey, I'm so sorry! I made these cookies many times and never had issues. Can you tell me which almond meal did you use? If it's too coarse it doesn't absorb well the other ingredients and doesn't become a paste, so that's could be the issue.