Italian Almond Cookies
Italian almond cookies are a traditional sweet treat, made with a combination of sugar, flour, and ground almonds, and are often flavored with almond or vanilla extract. They can be enjoyed year round but are especially enjoyed during the holidays. They make a perfect accompaniment to coffee or tea.
Over the years I have become a big fan of Italian cookies from simple Pasta Frolla cookies to traditional Cantucci to one of my favorite Stuffed Cookies and of course I can’t forget Lemon Cookies.
Italian almond flavor cookies are an easy cookie recipe and are quite versatile, they can be enjoyed on their own or served with your favorite ice cream or can be crumbled on top of fruit or yogurt.
Recipe Ingredients for Almond Cookies
- Flour – all purpose flour with at least 11% protein
- Almond flour – store bought or homemade
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Egg yolk – room temperature
- Butter – room temperature butter
- Vanilla – vanilla extract or almond extract
- Salt – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more butter
What is the best flour for cut out Cookies?
Be sure to use a high protein, at least 11.5 – 12%, my flour is about 12%, a low protein flour will cause the cookies to spread, and believe me refrigerating the dough will not help.
How to make homemade almond flour
If you like you can even make your own almond flour. I use blanched almonds to make my almond flour. Place almonds, 1/4 -1/3 cup at a time, in a food processor. Pulse until you have a flour-like consistency. Then sift the flour into a container, any large bits pulse again.
How to store Almond Flour
Almond flour is best stored in an airtight container either in a cool dry place or the fridge. It will last four or five months in the fridge.
It can also be stored in the freezer, either in a freezer safe bag or container. It will last up to nine months in the freezer. Almond flour isn’t a type of milled flour, it is just finely ground almonds.
How to make an Italian Almond cookie recipe
In a large bowl whisk together the flours and sugar then make a well in the middle and add the egg yolk, butter and vanilla, mix with a fork until almost combined. This dough is also very easy to make with a food processor.
Move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead into a compact ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Remove the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured flat surface roll into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, with your favourite cookie cutter cut out cookies.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake until done, do not let the cookies brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely, dust with powdered sugar before serving.
These cookies are a little like a buttery shortbread but with that extra taste of almond.
The perfect cut out cookie. And the best thing? You need just one bowl and a fork. And don’t forget to knead, this dough doesn’t come together in two seconds. A few minutes of kneading time is required!
What is the difference between almond flour and almond meal?
The main difference between almond flour and almond meal lies in their texture and processing. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds, which are almonds that have had their skins removed. The blanched almonds are finely ground into a smooth, flour-like consistency.
Almond meal is made by grinding whole almonds, including the skins. This results in a coarser texture with small pieces of almonds, giving it a slightly grainy or mealy quality.
Almond flour is often preferred for recipes that require a finer texture, such as pastries and macarons, while almond meal is commonly used in recipes that benefit from a denser texture such as pie crusts and certain cookies.
How to freeze Almond Cookies
If you aren’t going to freeze the cookies then store them in an airtight container and they should last up to 5 days. If you store them in the refrigerator they should last up to 8 days.
I would recommend freezing the cookies without the powdered sugar. Place the cookies in a single layer between parchment paper, be sure to store in an air tight container or a freezer bag. Cookies will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Delicious Almond Recipes
- Chocolate Almond Biscotti
- Panettone Italian Christmas Sweet Bread
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Almond Fresh Peach Bread
- Almond Cranberry Cake
So if you are starting to bake your cookies for the Holidays or just thinking about it I hope you give these Italian Almond Cookies a try. Enjoy!
Italian Almond Cookies
Equipment
- food processor (optional)
- 1 large bowl
- 1-2 baking sheets
- cookie cut outs
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour (at least 11% protein content)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon almond flour
- 1 pinch salt*
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup butter* softened
- 1½ tablespoons butter softened
- ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
*I use salted butter, if you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the flours, salt and sugar then make a well in the middle and add the egg yolk, butter and vanilla, mix with a fork until almost combined. This dough can also be made with a food processor.
- Move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead into a compact ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180C), line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured flat surface roll into a ¼ inch (½ cm) thick rectangle, with your favourite cookie cutter cut out cookies (I used mini cutters and got a lot of cookies, the first photo I used a medium round cutter and I got 15 cookies).
- Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets and bake for approximately 6 minutes (for mini cookies) approximately 8 – 10 minutes for larger. Do not let the cookies brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for approximately 10 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely, dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from November 25, 2018.
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I’ve made them once and they were perfect! Now I want to make them again for gifting at Christmas, and I was wondering, can I make the dough two weeks in advance and freeze it?
Hi Claire, you can freeze the dough, but it might be better to make and bake the cookies and freeze them after they have completely cooled, that’s what I always do. Hope that helps. Take care!
Thanks! I’ll do that
My dough came out perfectly. I needed very little flour to roll it out. I used parchment paper under and over the dough when rolling and that made it easy.
Nice buttery cookie. I used Amaretto and vanilla to flavor. A nice tea cookie.
Hi Dana, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed the cookies. Take care!
I was really excited to make these for my neighbors as Christmas gifts, but I had the same issues as the previous bakers. The dough was too crumbly and I wasn’t able to roll it out to use a cookie cutter. I ended up just slicing the dough and baked each piece. They tasted good with the almond extract, but I’ll probably not make it again.
Hi Andrea, anytime a dough is too dry add a bit more butter, I actually write about it in the note section of the recipe. It can happen with the type of butter you use and or the flour. Take care!
Thank you, Rosemary, for your wonderful recipes. Being of Italian descent, in my sixties with no family around, I am so grateful to you and your tasty food that I love to bake/cook. Thank you, again.
Hi Janet, thanks so much, so glad I could help out. Take care and have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Rosemary
I did try these and my dough was crumbly so I took your advice and added more butter Sucess!
I opted for mini cookies so I got a lot and my husband that doesn’t like sweets told me that this recipe is a keeper Thanks keep your recipes coming
Hi Maria, thanks so much, so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies. Take care!
I made the dough for these cookies and it’s very crumbly Is it supposed to be like that ? By the way I love all your recipes I hope you keep them coming!
Hi Maria Gerace, the dough shouldn’t be crumbly, mine was actually quite soft (see the video), try adding some more butter to bring it together. Let me know.
ok going to try thanks Rosemary
Hi Maria, if you ever remake it try adding the whole egg instead of just the yoke, that will help too. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
Are these like vortman cookie with sugar and slivered almonds?
Hi Chris, I am sorry I don’t know what vortman cookies are. 🙂
Yum! I agree with the others about needing a little more butter so I added an extra tablespoon and it was perfect. Some (like 3 out of the whole batch) cookies crumbled or broke when handled when still warm from the oven. I can’t stop popping these into my mouth! I didn’t have almond extract on hand but I think it’d give the flavor a pop for next time. Adding this to my rotation.
Hi Tiffany, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Yes needing the extra butter has a lot to do with the flour used. Happy New Year.
I was looking forward to making them for Christmas and they turned out very good. I did add the extra butter to the mixture, it needed it.
I have not put them in a container to give as a gift yet. I am curious how they will look once they have been traveling.
Hi Kelly, thanks glad you enjoyed the recipe. I think they should be fine. Let me know. Merry Christmas.
Hi, when I took the dough out of the fridge after an hour and tried to roll it the dough kept cracking. I had to keep re-rolling and trying to knead it together. Any tips on how I can fix this? Thank you
Hi Kate, if it cracks, then it is a little too dry, add a bit more softened butter, start with a tablespoon. Hope that helps.
Ooh ahhh. A wish for one right this second!