Description
Soft, chewy, naturally gluten-free Italian cookies made with almond flour, egg whites, honey, and fresh orange zest, rolled in powdered sugar and baked until the tops crack.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (about 240 g) almond flour
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (about 80 g) egg whites (about 2 to 3 large egg whites), at room temperature
Zest of 1 large orange
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, for coating
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, rub the orange zest into the granulated sugar with your fingertips until fragrant.
2. Whisk in the egg whites and honey until combined.
3. Add the almond flour and baking powder and stir until a thick, sticky dough forms.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
6. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon and roll into balls, then roll each ball generously in the powdered sugar.
7. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway, until the tops are cracked and the bottoms are lightly browned.
8. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Adapted from the Delicate Italian Almond Orange Cookies by Scrambled Chefs, with details from A Family Feast, The Petite Cook, and Cooking with Casey. The almond flour, sugar, egg white, orange zest, honey, baking powder, and powdered sugar amounts and the 1 to 24 hour chill follow the Scrambled Chefs listing. The 325°F oven temperature and rotating at about 8 minutes come from other Italian almond orange cookie recipes; the total bake time of 15 to 18 minutes, the scoop size, and the yield of 24 cookies are estimates, and the recipe has not been tested.
Use finely ground blanched almond flour for the best texture.
The cookies are done when the tops crack and flatten and the bottoms are lightly browned.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per cookie (24 cookies).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling)
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 12mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg