These Sicilian cookies are flourless and only needs 3 basic ingredients to make. They are soft and crisp in the edge and totally easy to put together.
I absolutely love many of the Italian-style soft almond cookies and biscuits. The riciarelli di Sienna that I made a while ago is one of my favorites. This pasticcini di mandorla/ pasta di mandorla has many resemblance to the riciarelli di Sienna IMHO. They are made with pretty much the same basic ingredients: almond flour, icing sugar, and egg whites. I added almond extract, and lemon zest to riciarelli di Sienna. I used almond flakes and candied cherries to decorate the pasticcini di mandorla instead. Pasticcini di mandorla is like a baked marzipan, which I absolutely enjoy!
How to make pasticcini di mandorla
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper. Combine almond flour, icing sugar, vanilla extract,almond extract, and lightly beaten egg whites in a mixing bowl. 
2. You should be able to get a dough. If it’s too dry, you can add a bit of egg white. If it’s too wet, you can add a bit more almond flour. It should be a soft dough and just slightly tacky
3. Sprinkle your work surface generously with some icing sugar. Roll the dough into a log, roughly about 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) in diameter. Cut into about 3/4 inch thick, you will get about 22-25 pieces
4. Roll each dough piece into a ball and roll into icing sugar to coat thoroughly and put on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Put one candied cherry in the middle by gently push it down. Gently press the almond flakes around the cherry
5. Dust with more icing sugar just before baking
5. Bake in the middle rack for 10-12 minutes for softer texture. If you want a bit crunchier, add another minute or two. They won’t brown much, only a bit of browning around the edge and the bottom. They should feel soft when comes out from the oven. Let them cool on the rack for about 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
6. Store them in an air-tight container. They can last for a week or so at room temperature. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature before consuming
I love the soft texture, slightly chewy and sweet. The addition of almond flakes and candied cherries are really nice too. They add more texture contrast to these soft cookies.
Did you make this pasticcini di mandorla recipe?
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Pasticcini di Mandorla (Italian Soft Almond Paste Cookies)
Ingredients
- 340 gr almond flour or more as needed
- 200 gr icing sugar
- 60 gr egg whites lightly beaten, or more as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
For coating:
- 50 gr icing sugar
For decoration (optional):
- Almond flakes
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper
- Combine almond flour, icing sugar, egg whites, vanilla and almond exract in a mixing bowl. You should be able to get a dough. If it's too dry, you can add a bit of egg white. If it's too wet, you can add a bit more almond flour. It should be a soft dough and just slightly tacky
- Sprinkle your work surface generously with some icing sugar. Roll the dough into a log, roughly about 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) in diameter. Cut into about 3/4 inch thick, you will get about 22-25 pieces.
To decorate with icing sugar:
- Roll each dough piece into a ball and roll into icing sugar to coat thoroughly and put on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Flatten it down slightly with the back of the spoon or use your palm
To decorate with almond flakes and cherries:
- Roll each dough piece into a ball and roll into icing sugar to coat thoroughly and put on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Put one candied cherry in the middle by gently push it down. Gently press the almond flakes around the cherry. Dust with more icing sugar just before baking
Baking:
- Bake in the middle rack for 10-12 minutes for softer texture. If you want a bit crunchier, add another minute or two. They won't brown much, only a bit of browning around the edge and the bottom
- They should feel soft when comes out from the oven. Let them cool on the rack for about 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
Storing:
- Store them in an air-tight container. They can last for a week or so at room temperature. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature before consuming
