Ricciarelli di Siena, Italian almond-orange cookies.

Ricciarelli di Siena are definitely my favorite Italian cookies. They are so good that they will last you for maybe half an hour from the moment you take them out of the oven. Although I must say that they taste best the day after baking.

Italian Ricciarelli di Siena are crispy on the outside, but very tender and soft on the inside. And their almond-orange flavor will literally take you to Italy 

The key to good Ricciarelli is quality almonds. The kind that you can make good flour from. Yes, you read that right. Ricciarelli are made from almond flour. And InfiNuta almonds are the best for this task. Why? Simply put, they are very well roasted and thanks to that they are very good at blanching and grinding.

In addition, it is very important not to rush anything, as Ricciarelli need time to prepare.

And how can you prepare them at home?

Ricciarelli di Siena, Italian almond-orange cookies.

Ricciarelli di Siena, Italian almond-orange cookies. – recipe

What will you need?

2 ¼ cups almond flour (250g) – see recipe for almond flour in the steps below
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar (170g)
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
a pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest (this is the zest from about half a medium orange)
1 tablespoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar for decorating cookies

How to proceed?

Blanched almonds: To make almond flour at home, you will need blanched almonds. To prepare them, prepare 2 large bowls. Pour about 1L of boiling water into one bowl, and pour about 1L of cold water into the other bowl. Place 250g of roasted almonds in a bowl of hot water and let stand for about 1 minute. After the time has elapsed, carefully transfer the almonds (it is best to use a strainer) into a bowl of cold water and let stand for another minute. After this time, place the almonds on a kitchen towel and peel the skins off them.
Almond flour: put blanched and well-dried almonds in a blender and blend at maximum speed until you get a fine flour. If the almonds start to stick to the container, scrape them off with a spoon. CAUTION : if you blend the almonds for a long time, you will make almond butter instead of flour :)
Beat the egg whites as you normally would, and add the lemon juice at the end.
Sift the almond flour into the beaten egg whites and gradually add the powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder. Fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough. Now add the orange zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract, and fold it all in a few more times. The final dough should stick to your fingers. CAUTION: Do not mix the dough with a food processor or hand mixer.
Prepare a baking sheet and spread baking paper on it. Start forming balls (approximately 2.5cm in diameter) from the dough, which you first roll in powdered sugar, and then place them next to each other on the paper. Gently press the sides of the Ricciarelli prepared in this way to give them an oval shape.
Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 60 minutes. This will help them to get a crispy crust on top but keep them soft on the inside. If you want the Ricciarelli to have the right shape and be cracked on top, press them down on the sides again. But this time do it from the opposite side as before.
Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 20 minutes.
Bon appetit, or Buon Appetito :)