Lemon Almond Cookies
These light and chewy lemon almond cookies are quick and easy to make, made from 6 ingredients, and are naturally dairy-free.
These Italian cookies come from Sicily, and are called, 'paste di mandorla' which roughly translates as 'almond dough'. They are a recipe that I have been making for years, and have been so popular on my sister website Mrs Jones's Kitchen that I couldn't not share them on here too!
They are delicious not only with coffee or for afternoon tea; but make a lovely addition to fresh, stewed or poached fruit for dessert. They travel well and are great to for taking to friends too.
The one tip I have with these almond cookies is not to overcook them - they are ready when the edges are tinged golden - otherwise they will lose that beautiful chewy texture.
Use the egg yolks to make custard, hollandaise, add to fried rice or stir through mashed potato and bake until golden.
Ingredients
- 250 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 190 g white sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from approx. ½ a lemon
- 2 egg whites
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free icing sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan / 180˚C / 320˚F convection / 356˚F.
- Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- Sieve the gluten-free icing sugar on to a plate and set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites with a fork until fluffy - you aren't aiming for meringue texture, just until the whites are frothy.
- Add the almond meal / ground almonds, sugar, almond extract and lemon zest to the egg whites and mix to combine. It will seem dry at first but keep working with a spoon or your hands to bring it together.
- Take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls with your hands, then roll the balls in the icing sugar.
- Place onto the lined baking trays, leaving a little room in between. Using a cleanfinger, flatten each cookie slightly
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Leave the cookies to cool on the trays.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or cool completely and then freeze for up to 4 weeks.
Nutrition
Private Notes
Ingredients
- 250 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 190 g white sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from approx. ½ a lemon
- 2 egg whites
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free icing sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan / 180˚C / 320˚F convection / 356˚F.
- Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- Sieve the gluten-free icing sugar on to a plate and set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites with a fork until fluffy - you aren't aiming for meringue texture, just until the whites are frothy.
- Add the almond meal / ground almonds, sugar, almond extract and lemon zest to the egg whites and mix to combine. It will seem dry at first but keep working with a spoon or your hands to bring it together.
- Take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls with your hands, then roll the balls in the icing sugar.
- Place onto the lined baking trays, leaving a little room in between. Using a cleanfinger, flatten each cookie slightly
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Leave the cookies to cool on the trays.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or cool completely and then freeze for up to 4 weeks.
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