Ricciarelli are traditional Italian cookies made at Easter and Christmas time. These delicious soft, chewy cookies are made with almond flour, so they are perfect for a gluten free diet.
These wonderful cookies are quite simple to make.
What are Ricciarelli?
Ricciarelli are soft almond based cookies dating back to 14th century Siena. In Tuscany, they were traditionally made around Easter and Christmas time and served with Vin Santo, but now they are enjoyed throughout Italy, all year round. In Tuscany they are still a popular gift when visiting friends and family.
Ricciarelli are both gluten free and butter free.
The cookies are made from a marzipan paste, which is flavoured with bitter almond, vanilla and citrus. Then each Ricciarello is shaped like ‘a grain of rice’, and dusted with powdered sugar before baking. They have a slightly crispy meringue-like exterior with a melt in the mouth centre, making them soft and chewy.
How to make them
The traditional way to make Ricciarelli, is to prepare the dough and shape it into rolls (like sausages), then wrap it in wax paper (or saran wrap/cling film) and refrigerate for 24 hours. However, if you are in a hurry, they can be baked straight away.
- In a mixing bowl, rub the zest into the sugar to release the fragrant oils, then ass the almond flour and powdered/icing sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites till soft peaks are formed. Slowly stir mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Gently fold this into the almond flour mixture and combine to form a moist dough.
- (This step is optional – wrap the dough into long sausage shapes and chill for a minimum of 4 hours to overnight.)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Break off small amounts of dough and form into flattened oval shapes. Dust liberally with icing sugar and leave on the counter for approximately 30 minutes to dry slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, till small cracks form on the surface. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (They should still be soft but will harden on cooling).
How to store them
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips for delicious Ricciarelli
- Rub the sugar into the lemon or orange zest to release the aromatic oils. This gives a lovely citrus flavour to the sugar.
- Gently fold the whisked egg whites together with the other ingredients to form a soft moist dough.
- For best results: Wrap the dough in cling film and leave overnight in the fridge (or min 4 hours).
- Take small portions of dough and form into flattened ovals shapes.
- Dust liberally with powdered sugar.
- Leave on the counter for 30 minutes to dry before baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes, till cracks become visible or the cookies turn a light golden colour.
- Once out of the oven, the cookies will still be soft but harden on cooling.
- Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The day after they taste even better!
Note
The Ricciarelli will crack slightly in the oven, but once cooled, will hold their shape. They remain white/light golden with a rough cracked surface.
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📋 Recipe
Ricciarelli
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar
- grated zest of an orange or lemon
- 1 cup powdered/icing sugar sifted
- extra powdered/icing sugar for dusting
- 200 grams almond flour
- 2 tablespoons bitter almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320℉/160℃
- In a mixing bowl, rub the zest into the sugar to release the fragrant oils into the sugar. Mix in the almond flour and icing sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites till soft peaks are formed. Slowly stir mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Gently fold this into the almond flour mixture and combine to form a moist dough.
- (This step is optional - wrap the dough into long sausage shapes, cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Break off small amounts of dough and form into flattened oval shapes. Dust liberally with icing sugar and leave on the counter for approximately 30 minutes to dry slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, till small cracks form on the surface. Remove from oven and allow to cool. They should still be soft but will harden on cooling. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
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Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The information above is an estimate per serving.
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J Lamont
I first ate these cookies in an Italian bakery in Sienna. This recipe comes very close to what I tasted there. I modified the recipe slightly using less sugar and they were plenty sweet 1/2 c of finely granulated (baker’s) sugar stored in a closed container with a vanilla bean in the sugar. This adds a little bit of vanilla flavor without adding any liquid. I used the rind of 1 orange mixed in with the vanilla sugar. I also reduced the confectioner’s sugar to 3/4 cup.
Nicole Shroff
I’m glad you liked them and thank you for your recommendations for a less sweet version. It is great to have a vanilla or orange sugar on hand for baking. I like to grate the orange zest to release its fragrant oils and mix into the sugar. It will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for weeks.
Brian
These are completely new to me and they sound absolutely delicious, I must make these up over the break.
Natalie
YUM! I never heard of ricciarelli before but they look delicious! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Tracy
These look soooo good. Love that they have the meringue kind of texture. I can’t wait to try them!
SHANIKA
i’ve never heard of Ricciarellis before this, but these cookies look so chewy and good!
Chichi Uguru
This recipe sounds perfect for someone on a keto diet. All we need to do is swap the sugar with a sugar substitute. Thanks