Italian Almond Lemon Cookies (Ricciarelli)

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I love all things Italian and I adore simple recipes, so I knew I had to share this delicious cookie recipe with you.

Italian lemon and almond cookies,  known as Ricciarelli, have a delectable, almost creamy marzipan like interior with bright notes of lemon and a slightly caramelized powdered sugar exterior. They are divine, have only 4 ingredients, come together in 1 bowl and are gluten free.  Need I say more?

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Tim and I were in northern Italy earlier this year, which just intensified my love of Italian things. I love the culture, food, history, food, friendly people and did I mention the FOOD!

HOW SIMPLE ARE THESE HANDFUL OF INGREDIENTS?

When my youngest daughter and her husband recently took their belated honeymoon to Italy and Switzerland, I had a bit of FOMO (that means fear of missing out for others that had to ask the definition of FOMO like this boomer did;-).

THIS IS HOW YOUR PERFECT DOUGH WILL LOOK

Not to be deterred, I quickly set about re-creating some Italian dishes, and this quick sweet treat was at the top of the list.

In short order Tim & I were enjoying these crave worthy nuggets, while trying to save enough for friends that were coming over for dinner that night.  I hard feat indeed.

They were loved by all & I know you'll love them too.  Enjoy my friends!

Parchment paper makes baking cleanup easy peasy & helps prevent sticking.

You definitely need good quality baking sheets & these by NordicWare are the gold standard.

My Pyrex mixing bowls come in handy on a daily basis.

​A cookie scoop ensures your cookies are even sized.

Ricciarelli (Italian Almond Lemon Cookies)
Makes 1 dozen plus a couple extra for the chef's treat ;-)


2 egg whites from large eggs (save the yolks for a nice scramble with an additional egg added in)
2 cups almond flour
1 cups powdered sugar plus extra for dusting the cookies (additional 1/2 cup)
Zest of 1 large lemon (use a grater/zester to make this easy)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt




This recipe could not be easier.


Preheat oven to 325 F.


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until the mixture comes together into one large mass that you can easily scoop out balls of dough from.  If your mixture is too crumbly, squeeze in a small amount of juice from the lemon, just until everything can combine.


Scoop out small rounds of dough (I use a1 1/4 inch cookie scoop) and roll gently in your hands to form a smooth ball.


Drop into the extra powdered sugar.  Roll around until thoroughly coated and place on the lined baking sheet.  Gently pat down to slightly flatten.


Bake in the preheated 325 oven for 12-14 minutes.  Let cool completely and enjoy.