These Italian almond cookies are chewy, sweet, and covered in real sliced almonds. My gluten-free almond cookie recipe only requires 5 ingredients and 10 minutes!
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Pin RecipeI first made these cookies for a friend who has celiac disease. Although I love my Almond Joy Cookies, Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies, and Carrot Cake Cookies, I needed a really good cookie that would fit her dietary needs, but still be delicious enough for everyone else to enjoy.
These almond cookies were the answer to all my problems!
Almond Cookie Recipe
My chewy almond cookies are made with almond flour, which makes them completely gluten-free. Not only are the almond cookies made with almond flour, but I also use almond extract and sliced almonds in this recipe. If you want a real, powerful almond flavor, three types of almonds are essential!
One batch of this almond cookie recipe will make about 24 perfect cookies, enough to feed a crowd or as a family dessert for the whole week. I have made these cookies many times since that first day and they always disappear quickly. So give my Italian almond cookies a try and see what you think. I hope you like them just as much as I do!
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Ingredients for Almond Cookies
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Almond flour – You can buy almond flour from the grocery store or you can make your own. Simply grind almonds in a food processor until they are very fine. Do not overgrind or they will turn into almond butter! Sift the ground almonds through a fine mesh sieve to make the flour fluffy and light. Freshly ground almond cookies are very tasty!
- Sugar
- Almond extract
- Egg whites – I like to use fresh egg whites for this recipe rather than those from a carton. Fresh egg whites will get fluffier and foamier than carton whites.
- Sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar
Variations
- Replace the sliced almonds with sliced hazelnuts. This is a delicious twist that adds a new nutty flavor to the cookies.
- Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the cookie batter to make chocolate almond cookies.
- Replace the almond extract with vanilla extract. The soft almond cookies will have a more mild almond taste but still be incredible.
- Skip rolling the cookies in the sliced almonds for a chewier almond cookie. This is great if you want a soft almond cookie without any crunch.
How to Make Almond Cookies
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and then line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set the tray aside.
- Whisk: Gently whisk the egg whites until they are foamy and light.
- Mix: Stir in the almond flour, sugar, and almond extract to make a stiff batter.
- Scoop: Scoop the cookie dough into 1 ½ inch balls using a cookie scoop. Roll the cookie dough using your hands to make a smooth ball.
- Add the nuts: Roll the cookie dough balls in the sliced almonds, covering the ball completely in the nuts. Place the cookie dough ball on the prepared baking tray and flatten it with your palm.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for about 12-13 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the center will still be soft.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the tray and transfer to a cooling rack. Dust them with powdered sugar, then enjoy!
Quick Tip
For chewier almond cookies, only bake them for 10 minutes then let them cool on the pan. Cooling the cookies on the tray will make the bottom of the cookies a little more firm while the center and top stay soft. The cookies will not completely fall apart when picked up since the bottom is baked more but the cookies themselves will be super chewy and tender.
How to Store Almond Cookies
Once your almond cookies have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for up to 5-6 days. You can also freeze the cookies for 3 months. Thaw the frozen cookies at room temperature for about 3-4 hours and they will be ready to eat!
FAQs
Almond cookies are often called almond biscuits, macaroons, Spanish almendrados or qurabiya (a shortbread-style almond cookie). Each type of almond cookie is a little bit different but they are all quite tasty in their own way!
Almond flour in regular cookie dough will typically make crumbly cookies. All-purpose flour has lots of gluten which helps to bind cookies together and make them soft. Replacing all-purpose flour with pure almond flour will change the taste and texture of cookies. This recipe is formulated specifically for almond flour so the cookies will be a lovely texture.
Extra egg whites help when baking with almond flour. Egg whites will hold the batter together without adding too much flavor to the recipe. You should try to look for recipes that already use almond flour, as they will be designed around the nuances of the flour. Trying to simply replace all-purpose flour with pure almond flour does not usually work well!
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Equipment
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Shallow bowl
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Cookie scoop
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 3 egg whites
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set the tray aside for now.
- Place the sliced almonds in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Add the egg whites to a large bowl and whisk until the whites are a little foamy. You do not need to whip them too much, you just want to break up the whites a little bit.
- Add the almond flour, sugar and almond extract to the bowl with the egg whites and stir together. The mixture will be stiff but smooth.
- Scoop the almond batter into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter and roll each one in the sliced almonds, coating the whole ball in the almonds. Place the almond cookie dough ball on the prepared baking tray and flatten them slightly with your hand. Space the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes. The edges and top will be slightly browned.
- Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
- Try mixing everything together in a large food processor to really make the dough smooth and cohesive.
- Add ½ cup chopped dried cherries to the cookies to make a true Italian classic dessert. Stir the cherries into the cookie dough before rolling in the almonds.
I made these cookies not because I’m gluten free but because my family and I love anything almond. This recipe was easy and delicious! Even better I can bring these to family gatherings where there are family members who are gluten free. These cookies are sooo delicious!