Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies
Ricciarelli are dense, chewy Italian almond cookies originating in Siena. They are a distant, and much less fussy, Italian cousin to the French macaron — perfect with tea or coffee!
It’s about time I shared a recipe with you that was inspired from our trip to Italy last fall!
We had so much good food while we were there that I wish I could relive or recreate: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or Florentine steak. Tiramisu. Homemade cavatelli pasta with arrabiata sauce from our cooking class in Rome. Allllllll those interesting flavors of gelato. Of course, pizza. More than anything, I wish I could import the amazing cured meats we had or have just one more sandwich from Lo SchiacciaVino.
While we were in Florence, we had the rare treat of meeting up with my European blogger friend Emily of Inside the Rustic Kitchen (an amazing go-to recipe blog for all things Italian!).
We both happened to bring each other identical gifts – cookies local to the cities we lived in. I brought her benne wafers (small, crunchy sesame cookies) from Charleston, and she brought me a box of ricciarelli – chewy almond cookies native to Siena, Italy.
I had never had them before but my husband and I were in love with them from the first bite! It was really difficult trying to save any of the cookies for more than a couple days!
What are ricciarelli?
Ricciarelli are cookies from Siena, Italy, that have a kick-you-in-the-face almond flavor, a lovely dense chewiness, and a beautiful cracked surface. One of these cookies is just perfect alongside a hot cup of Earl Grey or, if you want to live in true Italian style, a cappuccino.
Think of ricciarelli cookies as a cousin to macarons. Technically, I believe, it is actually a type of macaroon – with two o’s – but they made me think of macarons – with one o – as I was making them.
The recipes and techniques of ricciarelli and macarons are actually very similar: In both types of cookie, you fold almond flour and sugar into whipped egg whites, and you leave the shaped cookies on the baking sheet for a while to dry out before baking in order to form a little crust on the outside.
But — and this is good news — ricciarelli dough is much less fussy to make than macaron batter.
In ricciarelli, the ratio of almond flour to egg whites is much higher than in macarons, so you get a dense, chewy almond cookie rather than a light, airy one. Because there’s so much almond flour to fold in, it’s impossible to keep much of that fluffy meringue texture. Instead of lava-like macaron batter, you end up with a sticky dough you can roll into balls with your hands.
However, that hint of a crispy meringue-like exterior is still there before you hit the chewy inside. Letting the cookies rest long enough on the counter before baking is key to getting this texture!
Getting perfectly crackled ricciarelli cookies
That dried-out shell on the cookie dough is also vital to getting the beautifully craggy, crackled effect on the outside as well. With ricciarelli, you roll each ball of dough in powdered sugar before baking. When it cooks, the dough on the inside expands and breaks through the dried exterior, allowing golden cracks to show through the white outside.
However, sometimes the cookies need a little help in getting the crackled effect. The first time I made these, the dough was practically drying out by the time I got them on the cookie sheet and cracked very easily on their own. The second time I made them, even though I left them on the counter for two hours instead of one, the cookies needed some assistance to get the cracked texture.
You can see the difference here – the cookies on the right didn’t have any help, while the ones on the left were pre-cracked before baking.
I lightly squeezed each cookie from opposite corners until I was satisfied with the cracks I could see forming in the tops of the unbaked cookies. Then, instead of relying on the expanding dough to create the cracks, they just have to enhance the ones you already made.
I’ve demonstrated below on the baked cookies how I squeezed the unbaked dough balls to crackle the shells. Feel free to lightly press down on the tops or whatever you need to do to get those cracks started!
It’s basically like when you slice the top of your bread dough before baking. If you don’t, the dough will still expand and crack, but it might not be where you want it to. (In the case of the cookies, I found without pre-cracking the dough, it will mostly crack on the bottoms of the cookies rather than the tops, which isn’t nearly as pretty)
Getting the ideal flavor and texture
I did several rounds of recipe testing to get these just right for you! The first batch was delicious but tasted too much of orange and was too sweet. (The orangey flavor was lovely, just not as close to the original super-almondy ones we had.)
The second batch was much closer to the original cookies we had, but lost that hint of a meringue-like shell. Granted, I don’t remember that being present in the original cookies we had in Italy, but was a really nice attribute of the first batch of cookies I made!
I wasn’t sure why less sugar and orange zest would affect the texture, but I theorized that it was related to the humidity on the day I made the second batch.
What else could I do but test the same recipe with a third batch? This time I had our new dehumidifier on. Voila! Nice slightly crispy thin meringue-like shell, with the dense, moist, chewy interior. Perfecto!
Granted, they were still AMAZING in the second batch – just know that the humidity of your climate may affect the exact texture of your cookies. You can always leave them out longer before baking to help them out if you are in an especially humid environment!
Anyway, the best thing you can do to make sure these cookies come out well is to TRY THEM. They’re very easy to make — and even with subtle variations on exactly how the surface or flavor of each batch turned out, the consensus for each and every cookie was that they were awesome.
Hands down: holy amazingness. These have become one of my favorite cookies now!
Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar plus ½ cup for coating cookies
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon almond extract (this is not a typo)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest about half a large orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Add egg whites and lemon juice to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium low speed until frothy (about a minute), then at medium high until stiff peaks form. Add almond extract, vanilla extract, and orange zest, and fold in until well combined.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift almond flour mixture into the beaten egg white mixture. Add it in in about 2-3 batches, folding in each batch. Try to keep some air in the egg whites, but at this point it will form a pretty sticky dough rather than a fluffy meringue (see step by step photos in blog post or how-to video for texture)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using clean hands, roll dough into balls about 1" to 1.5" in diameter (or 23-25g each), then roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Shape into an oval, then arrange on baking sheet with some space between them for spreading.
- Leave at room temperature for about half an hour to an hour, or until the tops have dried to the touch and formed almost a little shell. (This may take longer in humid areas.) Flatten the cookies slightly and lightly squeeze or stretch opposite corners, trying to form little cracks in the top of the dried shell to pre-crack it before baking. (Not doing this won't affect the taste, but pre-cracking them makes them much prettier if you want that beautiful white-gold contrast!)
- While cookies are drying, preheat oven to 300℉ (150℃). When the cookies are ready, bake for about 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. These are even better the next day and are great with coffee or tea!
Absolutely brilliant recipe – mine turned out perfectly. Had some leftover egg white and googled what to do with them. Got this recipe and feel very pleased!!
It’s really a great way to use those extra egg whites! Glad you liked it!
Caroline, the recipe states to mix the egg whites in small batches. Exactly what does that mean? Kathleen
Once the egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks (in one batch, in step 1), you fold in the other ingredients (almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder) a little at a time, in 2-3 batches. Hope this helps!
Thanks very much. They were wonderful the first time but I will fold in a little at a time my next try.
Caroline, I was given the name of this wonderful cookie by the little bakery shop in Sienna, searched the name and found your excellent recipe. It was easy and pretty much tasted the same. Your pictures look more like the ones I remember. Would you tell me exactly what is meant by mixing in small batches? And keeping air in the meringue? Mine also didn’t crackle to the beautiful finish as yours did. I want to get them perfect. Thank you. Kathleen, Anderson, SC
When you fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, you add the dry ingredients a little at a time (2-3 batches) instead of all at once. It will help keep the dough airy that way. Did you let the cookies dry out adequately before baking? And did you pre-crack the surface? That will give you the crackle you’re looking for. I have lots of photos and instructions throughout the post to help you get that perfect crackle! It may take longer to dry out before baking if you’re in a humid environment like SC!
Thanks, I’ll study your photos.
Fantastic recipe. Inspired after I had some at a local bakery. Didn’t have oranges so used lemon zest. I loved it, my picky husband who is less a fan of lemons, less so. Ah well, more for me. Any chance you’ve had any luck making this without any zest? I imagine it would be similar just less bright/citrusy tasting?
You could make it without zest if you’d like. Maybe try it with orange zest next time and see how your husband likes it!
Absolutely delicious!!
I followed the recipe exactly and these are probably the best I’ve ever had! They came out perfect! I almost feel like they even taste like a pinoli cookie that I remember growing up in Brooklyn minus the pinolis. This will definitely become part of my cookie recipe collection. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved these! I’d love to try the pignoli cookies you’re talking about – I LOVE pine nuts!
Can I pipe the mixture with a piping bag? Thank you
The dough is pretty thick for using a piping bag, plus you are supposed to roll each cookie into a ball and then in powdered sugar. I wouldn’t use a piping bag for these.
I just baked these for the first time and loved them. I almond flavor is spot on and the slight crispiness on the outside is great. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these as much as I do! Thanks for your comment!
Do you have a recipe for chocolate ricciarelli?
I don’t currently, but that sounds like it would be amazing! Maybe I’ll add it to my list!
These were amazing! They taste like an orange torrone! I’m gluten free and Italian!! Perfect!
Oh wonderful! I am so glad you loved these!
I’ve made these twice now and very delicious!
First time I made them a little too small, but second time I weighed out each cookie to 26 grams and got the 20 cookies all nicely proportioned.
The texture and taste is perfect, but mine are spreading a little compared to your pics. I’m wondering when you roll into ball how much pressure you apply. I’m using a very light touch and wondering if I might need to press a little harder. Will have to experiment on my next batch!
When you roll the cookies it’s like you’re making meatballs – it should be a pretty solid ball of dough so it doesn’t fall apart! Hope this helps!
I’ve made these twice this past week – that’ll tell you how good they are! I followed the recipe exactly, but for whatever reason, the first time they came out way flatter. No matter, we ate them all! Today, they look just like your picture and the taste is a little more subtle, but divine. Chewy center, sweet almond taste with a little hint of orange – yum! My daughter has celiac disease, so I love how this is GF and the whole family can enjoy it. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing it. 🙂
Haha, I’ve actually made these twice this month too! It’s so nice to have a naturally gluten-free cookie recipe for the whole family, isn’t it? So glad you and your family like the recipe!
These cookies are amazing!! Every time I make them I get soooooo many compliments!! It’s great for my gluten-free and dairy free friends. Thanks for the recipe♡
It’s so nice to have a go-to cookie that’s naturally dairy- and gluten-free! I’m so happy you and your friends love these!
I followed your instructions exactly, and they turned out beautifully. Tasty too!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Thanks for your kind comment, and I’m so glad you like them!
I had this treat in an Italian bakery recently and the first thing i did when i got home was find a recipe for it. I’ve just baked them, exactly as per your recipe and my goodness are they good. Like, i am going to have to freeze this because otherwise i am going to sit down and eat the lot. A-maze-zing.
Yay!! I’m so glad they turned out like you wanted! <3 thanks for your lovely comment!
Hi there, I am just wondering if I can make them a week in advance? Cheers
I just made these again a week ago and the texture declines over that amount of time. Not the perfect chewy texture with just a bit of crispness on the edge anymore, but a bit more crumbly. Not bad but they definitely are better fresher.
You may have some luck freezing them for a week and thawing (rather than just leaving them in a sealed container at room temp like I did). I think some people who made this recipe did that for a Christmas cookie exchange!
I made them and I tend to be inpatient but everything turned out as picture. At first, after the dry time, when I pushed down I was only getting minor cracking. But, the cracks become even more pronounced during baking. Mine didn’t appear to fully cook near the bottom, as there was a dense wet layer, so next time I’ll maybe add a coupe of minutes.
Great recipe for an elevated cookie experience. Elevated in ingredients, but not level of skill required. :).
Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! As for the wet layer at the bottom, I’d say you may either have needed to let the dough dry out longer or perhaps you’re in a very humid area, or your oven temp may be off a bit. I know my oven is reliably 25 degrees cooler than what I set it to! Thanks so much for commenting and I hope you enjoy these again in the future!
Love this recipe. These cookies have a taste and texture that make the amateur baker seem like a gourmet pastry chef. Love everything about these cookies! My gluten free friends finally get a cookie that makes them feel included. Ricciarelli are DIVINE!
Being naturally gluten free is definitely a perk of these cookies! It’s nice to have a cookie they can eat without modifications and substitutions. So glad you and your friends loved these!
I have a question, instead of using almond flour could I use all purpose flour?? I have all the ingredients except for almond flour and wanted to know how much would it affect if I used all purpose flour.
Hi Fatima, the almond flour is essential to this recipe since it’s a type of macaroon rather than a “regular” cookie! It would be like subbing flour for coconut in a coconut macaroon. I have no idea how it would turn out with all purpose flour but it would be a completely different cookie for sure! I do hope you give this recipe a shot when you have the chance to get some almond flour! You could probably substitute another nut-based flour like coconut flour but not all-purpose, since it is another finely-ground nut.
They look amazing! But when I tried to bake them they were too dry, which might be because I think I used to wrong almond flour. Is it really almond flour or grounded almonds? It is super difficult to find almond flour in Germany so I thought maybe it‘s a different thing.
Hi Catherina, almond flour is the same thing as finely ground almonds. I’m not sure why yours would end up dry!
Please be warned! If you are making these cookies to bring somewhere don’t make them until the day you need them. If you attempt to make them the day before they will all be eaten and you’ll have to make them again. They are that good.
Haha, I would have to agree with this statement! It’s really hard to part with them to share with others because I want to eat them all!
Just made these yesterday. They came out perfect and insanely divine! I am an almond fiend and this tamed the beast! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yay!! They really are a great way to satisfy that almond craving!
These came out great. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Baking is not my strength, but still they came out great. Even in humid Texas, the cookies came out just like the picture. Even my husband, who does not like almond very much, enjoyed the cookies. Can’t wait to make them again. They are a great addition to my cookie/dessert list.
Thanks so much for commenting, Jennifer! I’m so glad you loved them! It definitely takes a little longer to dry out the dough in a humid environment but they are sooo worth the wait!
I don’t often comment on recipes, but these are amazing! Made a batch because I had a couple of egg whites to use up, and my youngest son said they were his favorite cookies ever. Made some tiny tweaks just to accommodate for what we had on hand (and the fact that we love lemon) but the recipe is perfect as written.
Thanks so much for leaving a review! I may agree with your son, these are definitely some of my favorites!
I just got back from Siena and wanted to make these cookies for myself. they turned out really good. I was just curious why your cookies (and the ones in Siena) are golden yellowy inside and mine are very much tan…. My almond flour is tan, do you guys use a special kind of almond flour that isn’t? I really wanted mine to LOOK like Sienese ones and unfortunately the look is off. Taste is spot on and I appreciate your recipe!
My almond flour is tan too! The only thing I can think of is maybe the orange zest gives it a bit more of a golden hue? Did you use orange zest? Or, maybe it’s just the contrast is low between the inside and outside colors if the powdered sugar soaked into the dough too much. That’s all I can think of! But I’m glad they gave you that true Siena taste you were looking for!