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Italian soft almond cookies with cherries

Chewy soft almond cookies with candied cherries that are made in about 30 minutes. Very easy to make and gluten free.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 22 cookies

Ingredients 

  • 2 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 2 egg whites from large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
To finish
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 22 candied cherries 100 g or 3.5 ounces

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a bowl combine almond flour with sugar and lemon zest. Add the egg whites and almond extract and stir everything with a fork or a spatula until the mixture has no dry spots left.
  • Give the dough a light knead to make sure it’s all sticking together. It should be soft, sticky and a bit grainy because of the almonds.
  • Tear off 22 bits and roll them into balls. Then roll each one in powdered sugar and place it on a cookie sheet. Place a candied cherry in the center of each one, lightly pressing it in so it’s nested in the cookie.
  • Bake cookies for 10 minutes. They shouldn’t be browned anywhere and will look almost as they did prior to baking as you take them out of the oven. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. This lets the outer shell to set, while the center remains soft.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Notes

Make sure you buy candied a.k.a glacé cherries. They are sweet and sticky, great for baking. Maraschino cherries, another popular type of preserved cherries, are very similar but they are stored in liquid, which makes them too moist for this recipe. If you only have these, dry them off on paper towels first.