Ricciarelli (Sienese Almond Cookies)

Name: Ricciarelli (Sienese Almond Cookies)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 250 g of Almond Flour; 2 Egg Whites; 400 g of Powdered Sugar; 1 tablespoon of Almond Flavor; 1 A4 sheet of Edible Wafer Paper

Ricciarelli are almond cookies from the city of Siena, served above all at Christmastime as a sweet treat with coffee.

Recipe Ricciarelli (Sienese Almond Cookies)

Difficulty Easy
Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking 15 minutes
Servings for 20 cookies

Ricciarelli are traditional cookies from Siena, in Tuscany, made with Almond Paste and covered in Powdered Sugar. Ricciarelli di Siena are so famous that they were the first Italian sweets to receive European protection with the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) label.

Ricciarelli are served above all at Christmas and during the winter holidays as a sweet treat with coffee. Besides being a wonderful sweet to offer guests, Homemade Ricciarelli are also perfect to make and give at Christmas to friends and acquaintances with a sweet tooth.

As you know, every year I make bags of cookies to give to the people I want to thank, but for whom I don’t want to buy a real present or something too personal. A great idea is to make bags of traditional Italian cookies, like Ricciarelli, but also Cantucci, Brutti ma Buoni and Baci di Dama.

Now all that’s left is to discover the Original Ricciarelli Recipe.

Ingredients for 20 cookies

250 g of Almond Flour
2 Egg Whites
400 g of Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon of Almond Flavor
1 A4 sheet of Edible Wafer Paper

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Method

To make the Ricciarelli, put the egg whites in a medium bowl and beat them to stiff peaks. Now add the sugar and almond flour and fold them in gently from the bottom up so the egg whites don’t deflate. Add the almond extract and fold gently again, then cover everything with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Meanwhile, take the sheet of wafer paper and cut out 20 ovals. Next, cover your floured work surface with powdered sugar. Divide the dough into 20 pieces and use them to cover the wafer ovals completely, then sprinkle everything with powdered sugar.
Bake at 170 °C (340 °F) for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven, let them cool completely and then serve the Ricciarelli. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

A little less famous, but just as good, are Chocolate Ricciarelli. You make them simply by adding some Cocoa to the dough of classic Ricciarelli.

Tips

You can buy Wafer Paper at pastry shops or at stores that specialize in baking and cake decorating supplies.

Once you take the Ricciarelli out of the oven, I recommend that you don’t touch them with your hands at all until they have cooled completely.

Storage

You can keep the Ricciarelli for a couple of days in a cookie tin or in paper food bags, like the ones used for bread.