Easy Almond Cookies
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These are the easiest and most delicious almond cookies ever. Simple ingredients, no stand mixer, but just a straightforward amazing almond cookie that turns out perfectly every time.
A real treat for any almond lover!
Inspired by the classic Italian soft amaretti recipe, these almond cookies have a chewy crust, a soft center and a divine almond flavor.
And they’re EASY to make!
You don’t need to whisk up egg whites or folding almond and sugar, but all you have to do is MIX just 5 ingredients in 1 bowl. Then shape your cookie balls, roll them in sugar, garnish with almonds if you feel fancy, then bake.
Watch the video!
The result will be these amazingly delicious soft almond cookies, crinkled outside and marzipan-like inside, and their lovely hints of lemon pairing beautifully with the almond flavor.
They’re not overly sweet, in fact, their main ingredient is almonds, not sugar.
I have been making these Italian almond cookies for years and everyone who tries them agrees they’re absolutely delicious, soft, and perfect with a cup of tea. Also, they look so pretty and make a lovely homemade Christmas gift
But what are almond cookies made of?
List of the ingredients
- Almonds (whole, blanched, or almond meal)
- Sugar
- Egg whites
- All-purpose flour (or oat flour)
- Lemon zest
- Powdered sugar (optional)
- Almond extract and vanilla essence (optional)
How do you make almond cookies from scratch?
(Note: this is simply a quick description of the method, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Place the dry ingredients into a food processor (if you use whole almonds).
- Whizz up.
- Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the egg whites and mix.
- Mould about 22 balls and roll them in powdered sugar.
- Place them on a baking sheet.
- Gently press an almond in the center of each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven.
Recipe notes & Faq
What you need for this almond cookie recipe
Almonds: this Italian almond cookie recipe is quite forgiving. Blanched almonds, whole almonds, store-bought almond meal (aka ground almonds), work fine. I make my own almond meal by grounding unpeeled almonds; it tastes fresher and it’s cheaper than the store-bought option.
Egg whites: add the egg whites gradually until you reach a pliable dough, it has to be soft, but not too sticky or sloppy.
Flour: a bit of flour makes the dough easier to work with and reduces the overall amount of sugar and almonds (See notes below for the gluten-free option).
Lemon zest: don’t skip it, its fresh notes pair so well with almonds. However, to intensify the almond flavor you can swap lemon zest for almond extract if you wish.
Powdered sugar: it’s optional. You might want to use it purely to achieve that white crakle effect on the surface. You can use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar.
Sugar coating and crinkles
Powder sugar and those lovely crinkles make them so festive! However, I noticed that when I use store-bought almond meal, the cookies tend to absorb partially the sugar coating when they’re in the oven. And that happens in general if the texture of the ground almonds is too fine. To prevent this, make sure to coat the cookies very well in powder sugar.
Can I make these almond cookies gluten-free?
Yes. You can easily turn these cookies into gluten-free almond cookies by using 1/3 cup of oat flour instead of 1/4 of all purpose-flour.
Can I freeze them?
Yes. You can make and freeze the dough for up to 1 month, tightly wrapped in plastic film and placed in a freezer bag. Thaw it in the fridge or at room temperature, then shape the cookies and bake them as per the recipe.
How long do almond cookies last?
Store them in a sealed jar or in a metal tin at room temperature. They last for about 5-6 days.
Looking for more easy cookie recipes?
You might have a look at these other easy cookie recipes, they don’t require fancy equipment and you can make them easily in 1-bowl with a few simple ingredients:
- Fig cookies (Italian cucciddati)
- Italian almond biscotti
- 1-bowl Orange chocolate cookies
- Vegan almond biscotti
- 4-ingredient coconut cookies
And if you think of Christmas cookies, don’t miss these 15 amazing Christmas cookies. It’s a collection of recipes perfect to inspire you!
I hope you’ll love these Italian almond cookies as mush as we do, and if you make them or if you have any questions, please leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
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Easy Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup (7oz/200 grams) whole almonds (or 2 cups of ground almond)*
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp (4oz/120 grams) sugar (see notes)
- ¼ cup (40 grams) all-purpose flour (or ⅓ cup oat flour)
- ¾ lemon, zest
- 2 egg whites, slightly beaten with a fork
- 1 tsp almond essence or vanilla essence (optional)
Decoration
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar (icing sugar if you're in the UK)
- 22 almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340°F/170°C, line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- Place almonds (use a heaping 1 ⅓ cup of almonds to make 200 grams), plus sugar, lemon zest and flour in a food processor.
- Whizz until you get nearly a fine texture. I mean, not coarse and not flour-like texture, but something in between.
- Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add half of the white eggs to the dry ingredients. Stir well with a spoon or a spatula and add the rest of them a bit at a time. I suggest you add the liquid gradually because you might need a bit less than 2 egg whites, it depends on their size. To check it the dough is ready, try to shape a cookie ball, it should be easy to work with and not too sticky.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Then shape 20-22 cookie balls, each cookie ball should be about 1 ⅓-inch diameter. Roll them in the powdered sugar, and if you used almond meal instead of whole almonds, make sure they're coat well in sugar.
- Place the almond cookies on the baking tray allowing about 2 inches between them.
- Top each cookie with 1 almond if you wish. Place the almond in the center and gently press with your finger.
- Place the baking tray on the middle rack and bake for about 13-14 minutes (although the video says 17 minutes).
- When they're done let them cool on a rack and serve them at room temperature.
I’ve made these before and they are always enjoyed. Today I’m making a batch to bring to 2 separate visits to friends.
That’s great to hear, Julie! I’m very glad you love this recipe, thanks for sharing. x
These turned out sooooo hard. I followed recipe exactly
HI Donna, thanks for your feedback, I’ve tried the recipe again and I found that reducing the baking time should give better result in every oven. I’ve just amended the recipe for the future. Thanks. x
These look delicious!
I’d like to try them with pistachio cream in the centre – would I need to freeze small balls of the cream before putting them in the middle of the cookies?
Hi Charlotte! The pistachio cream sounds amazing, but I’ve never used it in my cookie recipes unfortunately, I can provide instructions for this.
However, I think the cream might melt in the oven, I recommend making a test first, and not for the whole batch. x
i tried them but didnt want to seperate the eggs so I used 3tbsp aquafab insted of egg whites (following you instructions adding them bit by bit at the end) and the turned out well. thank you!
That’s great to hear, Kristina!
Thanks so much for sharing, I appreciate. : )
I’m a pretty average cook so was very surprised when these turned out awesome the first try. I think it’s thanks to your great recipe that truly is easy. It’s given me a great way to use up egg whites left over from ice cream. Thanks for the simple clear instructions.
What a wonderful feedback, Naomi! I’m so glad to hear the cookies turned out awesome and the recipe was easy.
Thanks so much for sharing. x
Hi Katia, I made my first batch of the almond cookies. They tasted amazing. I have what i call a ‘hot’ oven as it cooks everything quicker than it’s meant to. So my cookies came out really crunchy. In order to make then a bit softer do u think I should lower the temperature of the oven or not cook for as long? Or perhaps both? Thank you so much for your advice
Hi Katia, with lemon zest the recipe says 3/4 ? but is that of a tablespoon? Also is the zest only the rind or do u mean lemon juice? Thanks
Hi Karen, I meant only the zest (the finely grated peel you see in the video) of 3/4 of a lemon, not 3/4 of a tablespoon and not the juice.
I hope it’s clear now : ) Thank you! x
Hi! I recently found your website and I love it, especially as I cook mainly vegetarian or vegan meals for my sons. I’m trying these cookies at the weekend but wondered if when you list whole almonds, do you mean with or without the skins? I want the first time I make them to be right, so hope you can help. Thanks! Sarah.
Sorry Katia! I skipped back to the photos and saw that the almonds had the skin on. Sorry!
No problem at all, Sarah! I’m glad you like my website and hope you’ll love the cookies too : )
Cheers x
What is the measurement if using Almond Flour?
HI Cathy, I’m afraid I can’t help if you need cup measurement for almond flour (I’ve never used it for this recipe).
But I’m going to try it soon in order to offer different options in the recipe card. Thanks for your question. x
hey there i love your recipes but only the ones that include almonds or almond meal combined wth spelt, i like to use more almonds….. and less flour to keep my numbers low but i don’t knaw how to mix this ratio, can you tell me if it is possible. also i must use Nativia or monk fruit sugars.
Unfortunately I’m not able to help with you, Rose.
I’ve never tested the recipe with more almonds, almond meal or with sugar alternatives, sorry about that! x
Thank you so much for sharing !
I tried these cookies but without coating them with powdered sugar, they turned out divine!
I’m thinking about doing another batch with walnuts ? Can I substitute walnuts for almonds ?
Thanks for sharing your lovely feedback, Assma! I’m so pleased they turned out divine.
Walnuts might work too, although I’ve never tried them in this recipe, so I’m not totally sure about this substitution.
Let me know if you give them a go pls. 😉
Cheers x
At what temperature are they baked?
HI Barbara! Please, follow the recipe card at the bottom of the page, it says “Preheat the oven to 340°F/170°C”. x
Love them! Can you freeze them? Or alternatively, can you make the dough and keep it in the fridge for a few days? Because otherwise they just all get eaten!
Hi Anna, thanks for your lovely comment, I’m glad they turned out so delicious! The cookies freeze well, and you can freeze the dough too (better than keeping it in the fridge for days).
Have a nice weekend!
We just couldn’t eat 1 , it’s absolutely delicious. I can’t believe it’s just made with minimum ingredients and free from oil and butter. The only thing I changed is I roasted the almonds but everything else was the same. Thank you 😘
You’re so welcome, Nikitha! I’m so pleased you loved them, thanks for your lovely comment 💛
We loved them, They’re absolutely delicious 😍 and the recipe is so easy. Im gonna make another batch in the next few days. Thanks you! 👍
I’m so pleased you loved them, Laura! I’m happy to share the recipe, and thanks for your comment x