Cookies

Soft Amaretti Cookies

October 19, 2021 by Marisa 2 Comments

One of the easiest cookies you’ll ever make are these amaretti morbidi, Soft Amaretti Cookies made with almond flour. They’re absolutely delicious! Addictive! And gluten free too!

As friends and family know me well, I have a love affair with cookies! But you’ve probably noticed from all the yummy cookie recipes here on the blog.

So when my dear friend Franca generously offered to share her Italian amaretti morbidi recipe with us, morbidi meaning soft, I was quite thrilled to bring it to life here on the blog.

Friends, they’re exquisite!

Right after biscotti, Italian almond cookies are a favourite indulgence of mine! So much so, that you’ll find quite a few recipes here on the blog. And all have that unmistakable almond flavored bite!

The ones you see here today are similar in taste to these chewy amaretti made with finely ground almonds and hazelnuts, but the texture differs between the two. Because, almond flour renders cookies way softer than home ground almonds.

I would have to compare them to my soft blueberry amaretti cookies. In both taste and texture, they’re very much alike. However, the honey in the blueberry amaretti recipe gives them that little extra softness. Almost a melt-in-your-mouth softness!

All you’ll need are a 4 ingredients to bake these sweet morsels. As shown in the photo above.

almond flour
eggs
sugar
almond extract

Well, 5 if counting the sliced almonds used for garnishing!

So let’s get started!

How To Make Soft Amaretti Cookies

You can make these amaretti cookies using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. But if you don’t have either, all you’ll need is a large bowl to mix the ingredients in and a sturdy wooden spoon.

Step 1: Place the eggs and sugar with the almond extract in a large bowl. Beat the ingredients together on low speed until combined.

Step 2: Slowly, beat in the almond flour on low speed, until the ingredients are well incorporated.

You’ll have a soft but fairly firm dough, ready to be shaped into small cookie dough balls.

So have your baking sheets ready and lined with parchment paper. And preheat your oven!

Let’s get rolling…but first, see the image below with the small cookie scoop! It’s one and a quarter inch round in diameter and will give you perfectly shaped almond cookies!

The trick is to compact the dough really well in the hollow scoop. And once the dough is released simply round it with the palm of your hands. You’ll get a consistent size in every cookie ball.

If you don’t have a small scoop, a teaspoon will do. But, you’ll need to use your hands to compact the dough tightly so they hold their rounded shape.

Step 3: Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar while turning to coat all over. Then, top with two sliced almonds if using.

If you prefer, you can also top with a whole almond instead of the sliced ones.

Step 4: Transfer the cookies to your parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven when they’re pale golden in colour. And take care not to let the bottoms darken too much!

Allow the cookies to cool completely before lifting them from the pan because they’re very fragile while still warm.

Can Amaretti be Frozen?

These cookies are great for planning ahead as they freeze quite well. But you’ll need to take care when stacking them in your freezing container. Because, the sliced almonds can easily snap off.

So it’s best if you freeze them in one single layer as much as possible.

You can still bite through them straight out of the freezer. They’ll be soft but chewier. However, a half hour or so at room temperature will restore them to a softer texture.

Baker’s Note:

Instead of sliced almonds you can top these cookies with whole almonds. Skin on or blanched.

You can also top each cookie with either green or red glazed cherries sold in jars to add a festive holiday appeal.

Or simply leave them unadorned if you so wish.

Happy Baking dear friends!

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2.67 from 3 votes

Soft Amaretti Cookies

These soft amaretti cookies are made with almond flour and are so incredibly delicious. You'll only need 4 ingredients to make these easy, gluten free almond flavored cookies.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time12 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Soft Amaretti Cookies

Servings: cookies (approximately)

Calories: 84kcal

Equipment

Stand mixer or hand held mixer
Mixing bowl
Three baking trays
Parchment paper
Cookie scoop (1¼ inch size)
Rubber spatula

Ingredients

Ingredients For Soft Almond Cookies

3 large whole eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure almond extract
4 cups almond flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds for garnish optional

For Rolling The Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Making Soft Almond Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
In the bowl of a stand mixer and with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar and almond extract on low speed until incorporated.
Slowly beat in the almond flour until well incorporated.
Use a 1¼ inch cookie scoop or a scant teaspoon size to scoop out and shape the dough into small round shapes.

Rolling The Cookies In Sugar

Place a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a small round bowl.
Roll the cookie balls in the granulated sugar, turning to coat all over.
Place the sugar rolled cookies on the prepared parchment lined cookie sheet. (Space 2 inches apart)
Top with sliced almonds if using.
Bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes or until pale golden in colour. (mine were ready after 12 minutes)
Allow to cool before removing the baked cookies from the baking tray. (they're very delicate)

Nutrition

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

May 14, 2021 by Marisa 28 Comments

Soft and cake-like Lemon Ricotta Cookies made with a quick lemon infused sugar. These fragrantly bright Italian cookies are dipped in a lemon glaze for a delightful all around citrus scent.

They’re incredibly easy to make and you can top them with sprinkles of your choice to suit just about any holiday or other special occasion.

These cookies made with ricotta are extremely popular in Italian households. Especially around the holidays with each family having their own unique way of decorating these lemon flavoured cookies.

They’re inspired by Canadian Living Magazine’s Ricotta Cookies from a holiday issue. I’ve made a few switch ups which will definitely appeal to all lemon lovers.

To achieve an all around citrus taste in the cookie dough, I added lemon zest and made a quick lemon sugar by pulsing together the lemon zest with the granulated sugar in my mini food processor. It’s the same technique I use when baking batches of Ciambelle Cookies as well!

Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor you can skip this step. And simply beat together the butter and sugar with the lemon zest.

I also omitted the baking soda altogether and increased the baking powder from 1/4 teaspoon to a full teaspoon. This yielded a plumper cookie which did not spread out much and does not flatten out. They resembled these perfect little round soft and fluffy pillows.

Also for uniformly round cookies I used a 1 1/2 inch round cookie scoop but you can just as easily measure the dough out with a rounded tablespoon.

I opted out of the cream cheese icing and decided to make a luscious lemon glaze.

They’re extremely soft to the bite, much more so than my Tarallucci al Limone. And they also have a very cake-like texture full of lemon flavour which are sure to appeal to all you die hard cookie fans!

How To Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies

1. Pulse together the lemon zest and sugar together in a food processor for about 1 minute. This technique infuses the sugar granules with the citrus scent.

2. Place the lemon sugar and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl.

3. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

4. Add in the egg, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract

4. Beat together until well combined.

5. Add in the sifted dry ingredients consisting of flour, salt and baking powder. And stir the dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture.

6. Scoop out approximately 1 tablespoon of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet while spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. (use a 1.5 inch small scoop or a tablespoon)

7. Bake in a preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven when pale yellow in colour with golden bottoms. Then simply transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Lemon Glaze For Cookies

This is a simple dairy free lemon glaze consisting of powdered sugar, also known as icing or confectioner’s sugar. And with both the juice and zest of a lemon.

You may need an extra lemon for juicing if your first one does not give out enough juice.

Simply add the powdered sugar, juice and zest in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients until smooth in appearance with no lumps.

You can customize the thickness of the lemon icing or glaze to your taste. Adding less lemon juice to the icing sugar will result in a thicker glaze. Or, if you prefer a thinner glaze try adding a little more lemon juice.

Do keep in mind though that these cookies absorb quite a bit of the icing, especially a day after. So if you want that white glazed appearance make sure the icing is not overly thin.

Can You Freeze Lemon Ricotta Cookies?

I had full intentions to test out whether these ricotta cookies would freeze well because I’m all for baking ahead during the holidays.

However, they lasted 1 full day in my freezer because greedy hands quickly devoured the cookies! They’re that delicious!

Here is what I recommend!

If baking and freezing ahead do freeze the cookies without the lemon glaze.
Thaw and then glaze the cookies the same day you plan to serve them for best appearance.

How to store Italian Ricotta Cookies

Store the cookies in an air tight container and keep in a cool dark place.
They’ll be at their freshest for about 5 days
Or freeze unglazed cookies and then defrost and glaze them on the day you plan to serve them.

Bake them today and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This recipe was originally posted Nov 13, 2017 and republished May 14, 2021 with updated content and photos.

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4 from 4 votes

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These classic Italian Ricotta Cookies are extremely soft and cake-like in texture. They're dipped in a lemon glaze and topped with golden non-pareils.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time14 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Servings:

Calories: 115kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

For The Cookie Dough

1 cup granulated sugar
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 large egg
8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
sprinkles or nonpareils for decorating

For The Lemon Glaze

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
zest from 1 lemon
4 to 5 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 cookies sheets with parchment paper as this will make for easy release of the cookies and set aside.
Pulse the granulated sugar with the lemon zest in a food processor for about 1 minute so as to infuse the sugar with the lemon scent.
Place the lemon sugar and the softened butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy.
Beat in the egg, ricotta cheese and the vanilla until well combined.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and stir this into the ricotta mixture.
Using a small cookie scoop of about 1 1/2 inch in size, scoop out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart so that they have room to expand. Or simply measure out a heaping tablespoon if you don't have a cookie scoop.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes or until the bottoms are golden in color.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and in the meantime prepare the lemon glaze.
FOR THE LEMON GLAZE
Place the icing sugar and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl and whisk in the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, until a desired consistency is achieved.
Dunk the top of the ricotta cookies into the lemon glaze and place on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch any drippings.
Sprinkle with nonpareils of your choice and then allow the lemon glaze to set before serving.

Nutrition

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

December 3, 2020 by Marisa 31 Comments

These Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti get a lovely lemony kick from both the lemon zest and one of Italy’s favourite liqueur, Limoncello.

They’re studded with dried wild blueberries, almonds and pure white chocolate chips then drizzled with more melted white chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you’ll probably know quite well my love affair with biscotti.

Not only are they extremely easy to make and perfect for a novice baker, you can mix and match different flavours and ingredients to suit your tastes.

They are also far lower in fat than other traditional cookies and keep extremely well in an air tight container for a week or so. Although at my house they disappear ever so quickly!

These twice baked biscotti make perfect little dunkers for a morning cup of freshly brewed coffee or a hot cup of tea to while away a lazy afternoon.

They’re also equally wonderful served alongside a scoop or two of lemon granita! It makes for one indulgent after dinner dessert.

Similarly to my Chocolate Anise Biscotti, these are light and airy with a tender bite and extremely tooth friendly. Unless you happen to be a certain 11 year old boy entering a tooth transition period.

Désolé Guillaume, j’espère que la fée des dents a fait preuve de grande générosité…sorry Guillaume, I truly hope the tooth fairy was quite generous with you!

How To Make Blueberry Lemon Biscotti with Almonds

First off, you don’t need any special equipment. Have ready one large mixing bowl to combine the dry ingredients and a lightly smaller one for the wet ingredients.

Also a wooden spoon, a whisk and a zester.

And of course a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Now we’re ready to start this easy biscotti recipe.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, dried blueberries and chocolate chips.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the limoncello.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the biscotti dough is thoroughly combined. Or until there are no white flour specks visible.
Transfer the biscotti dough to a floured work surface.
Divide into 2 equal portions.

Working with dusted hands and work surface, roll one portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
Transfer the logs to your prepared baking sheet.
Brush each log with beaten egg white.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Let the biscotti logs cool for about 10 to 15 minutes for easy slicing.
Transfer one log at a time on a cutting board and with a sharp knife, slice into 3/4 inch slices.
Return the sliced biscotti onto the baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling with the melted chocolate.

How to Melt Chocolate in the Microwave

When ready, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 15 second intervals while taking care it doesn’t burn.
Stir in between intervals.
For easy drizzling, thin out the chocolate by stirring in about a 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Or just enough till you achieve a drizzling consistency.
Finally, drizzle the biscotti with the melted chocolate and allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Alternately you can use a double burner to melt the chocolate.

The lemon zest coupled with the Limoncello liqueur imparts a lovely infusion of citrus flavor and accentuates the sweetness of the blueberries. However, you can absolutely replace the liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Although delicious all on their own, try drizzling some melted white chocolate for some extra love. But really its totally optional!

A note on Vanilla Sugar

My intent was to use regular granulated sugar as I normally do when making biscotti. I then remembered the jar of Homemade Vanilla Sugar way back in my pantry.

As I slowly popped the lid a heady scent of sweet vanilla permeated the air around me and I knew at that moment that I simply had to use it in my Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti recipe.

The aroma of homemade vanilla sugar is absolutely heavenly!

And while you can use the store bought variety nothing ever beats homemade in my opinion.

Happy baking dear friends!

This post was originally published August 5, 2017 and republished December 3, 2020 with new content and photos.

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4 from 1 vote

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti, scented with one of Italy's favorite liqueur, Limoncello. Packed with wild dried blueberries, white chocolate chips and then drizzled with more melted chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time25 mins

10 minutes resting time15 mins

Course: Biscotti

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: amond biscotti, lemon biscotti, wild blueberry

Servings: biscotti

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds finely ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
3/4 cup dried wild blueberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
zest of 1 large lemon about 1 heaping tablespoon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of Limoncello liqueur you can substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice
lightly beaten egg white from one egg for brushing the logs
1/2 cup white chocolate melted (for drizzling)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, finely ground almonds, baking powder, salt, wild blueberries and chocolate chips.
Stir and set aside.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and Limoncello liqueur.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon till thoroughly combined.
Transfer the biscotti dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide in two.
Dust hands with flour and roll 1 portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.
Brush each log with the beaten egg white.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally to about 3/4 inch pieces.
Place the sliced biscotti upright on the baking sheet and return to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes or till golden brown in color.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate in microwave safe bowl then thin it with a little bit of vegetable oil for easy drizzling.
Drizzle the biscotti with the melted white chocolate and allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Nutrition

Ricciarelli: Italian Almond Cookies

July 22, 2020 by Marisa 17 Comments

Ricciarelli, Italian Almond Cookies are exquisite little morsels with a soft and chewy bite. They’re a traditional Sienese cookie, gluten free and a joy to make!

As I reflect on which cookies to add on a cookie platter, a balance of different textures and flavours is what I look for.

Some have to include a type of nut while some are without, and always keeping in mind different tastes and preferences.

I would need at least one colourful treat to brighten up the mound of cookies piled up high on my cookie platter. Such as these Italian Rainbow Cookies.

And then we mustn’t forget family members with dietary restrictions. Such as those who are gluten intolerant! They too need a perfectly satisfying sweet nibble! This is where these Italian gluten free almond cookies make an appearance!

What are Ricciarelli?

Ricciarelli which are pronounced ric-cia-rel-li, are Italian almond cookies with a soft and chewy bite.

These Italian paste-like cookies are lemon scented and also wonderfully perfumed with the seeds of a vanilla bean. They also pack an intense almond taste that we so love in our almond flavoured desserts.

They’re like delicate little Italian pastries. Light and airy in taste, much like a French macaron but slightly denser to the bite.

What I love about these cookies is that you really don’t need any serious baking skills.

It’s simply a few very good quality ingredients consisting mostly of finely ground almonds and some powdered sugar.

What are the ingredients for Italian almond cookies?

blanched almonds (see notes below to blanch your own)
powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar)
pure almond extract
lemon zest
vanilla bean
egg whites

How to Make Ricciarelli, Italian Almond Cookies from scratch

In a food processor, pulse together the blanched almonds with 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar until you achieve a fine texture.

Then add in the remaining sugar with the lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla seeds and pulse together until very fine.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a fork just until foamy and stir into the almond mixture a little at a time.

The egg whites is what binds the ingredients together to bring you a deliciously soft and chewy cookie with its distinctive crackled appearance.

You’ll have a stiff paste-like dough when done.

When you’re ready to roll the dough, dust both your hands and work surface with a little powdered sugar.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and roll out into logs of about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.

Wrap the logs individually with cling wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. This makes for one great make ahead cookie dough.

When ready to bake, slice the the cookie dough into 24 equal portions and roll each into a ball.

Slightly flatten each cookie ball with the palm of your hand while forming them into an oval shape.

Place the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets while spacing them 2 inches apart. The cookies don’t spread out while baking but will puff up somewhat.

Dust the top of the cookies generously with powdered sugar and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.

They should be pale in colour when done. They’ll also be fragile when fresh out of the oven. So allow to cool with the cookies still on the cookie sheet while placed on a cooling rack.

The key to soft and chewy almond cookies, is to not over bake them. With my oven 12 minutes is sufficient.

Plan ahead steps

Day 1…you can blanch your own almonds if you’re so inclined. This is a process I really enjoy doing and extremely easy to do. See my notes below on how to blanch your own almonds.
Day 2…you can prepare the cookie dough and refrigerate over night.
Day 3…slice, shape and bake! It’s pretty simple right? Told you so!

The Legend of Ricciarelli Cookies

Aside from being a Sienese Christmas treat, these cookies are customarily shaped into an oval or diamond form.

Some would say that the oval shape was meant to represent the eyes of the Madonna by Renaissance painters.

However, according to one legend it is said that a noble knight, Ricciardetto Della Gherardesca introduced the diamond shaped form of this cookie. Its oval shape with the pointed tips greatly reminded him of the Sultan’s slippers from his crusades of the far East. Hence the name Ricciarelli!

Whatever shape or form you decide on, I’m sure you’ll agree these cookies reign supreme in elegance and simplicity.

Serve alongside your favourite sweet wine or Vin Santo.

Happy baking dear friends!

How to blanch almonds

Blanching your own almonds is easy to do! And so worth the effort for optimal flavour too.

Place the almonds in a pot of boiling water and allow to simmer for about 60 to 70 seconds.

The almonds will start to rise and bob on the surface. The skins will look shrivelled up.

Drain the almonds and run them under cold water. Then pat dry with a clean dish towel.

One at a time, gently press on the almond between your thumb and index finger to release the nut from its skin.

Let the blanched almonds dry at room temperature on a clean dish towel before proceeding with the recipe. This can also be done overnight.

If you’re pressed for time you can dry the almonds in a low heated oven for about 5 minutes or so.

This post was originally published in December of 2018. And, updated and republished with new content and photos in July of 2020.

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Ricciarelli: Italian Almond Cookies

Ricciareli, Italian Almond Cookies are deliciously soft and chewy cookies with a distinctive crackled surface. A typical Sienese Christmas cookie.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time12 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: gluten free cookie, Ricciarelli Italian Almond Cookies, Sienese almond cookies, Tuscan cookie

Servings: cookies

Calories: 112kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Food Processor
2 parchment lined baking sheets

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups blanched almonds see notes below for blanching your own
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
lemon zest from half a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
egg whites from 2 large eggs
powdered sugar for dusting approximately 1 cup

Instructions

Preparing The Cookie Dough

In a food processor, pulse together the blanched almonds with 3/4 cups of the powdered sugar until fine in texture.
Add in the remaining sugar, lemon zest, almond extract, the vanilla bean seeds and pulse together until very fine. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a fork just until foamy.
Add the beaten egg whites to the almond mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time while stirring just until you've achieved a stiff dough.
Transfer the dough onto your work surface and divide it into 2 equal portions.
Dust your hands and a flat work surface with a little powdered sugar and roll out the cookie dough into a log about one inch and a half in diameter. (work with one portion at a time)
Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

When Ready To Bake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Slice each cookie log into 12 equal portions and roll each into a ball. ( you should have 24 dough balls)
One at a time, slightly flatten each ball between the palms of your hands while forming into an oval shape.
Place the shaped cookies onto the prepared baking sheets while spacing them 2 inches apart.
Dust generously with powdered sugar.
Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the sides are pale golden in colour.
Take care not to over bake them. They should look dry and not overly dark.
Allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet as these cookies are very soft and fragile when removed from the oven.
Enjoy with your favourite sweet wine or Vin Santo.
They keep well for up to a week at room temperature sealed in an air tight container.

Notes

Blanching Almonds

Place the almonds in a pot of boiling water and allow to simmer for about 60 to 70 seconds. The almonds will start to rise and bob on the surface. The skin will have a shrivelled up appearance.

Drain the almonds and run under cold water then pat dry with a clean dish towel.

One at a time, gently press on the almond between your thumb and index finger to release the nut from its skin.

Allow the blanched almonds to dry at room temperature, on a clean dish towel, before proceeding with the recipe. This can also be done overnight.

If you're pressed for time you can dry the almonds in a low heated oven for 5 minutes or so.

Nutrition

Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

June 10, 2020 by Marisa 82 Comments

Tarallucci al limone are traditional Italian lemon knot cookies from southern Italy. They were very popular at weddings as they symbolize two people “tying the knot” in holy matrimony.

Today you will find them mostly at holidays and family gatherings. You’ll also find other shapes, such as the twist or a single ring form such as the ciambelle cookies.

They were not a typical cookie from my childhood, however most Italian families have a version of these tarallucci al limone.

My first encounter with these soft lemon cookies came from a local bakery and I fell in love with them at first bite! I set out to replicate them at home. However, after a few enquiries, I quickly came to realize that there are many ways to make them.

Some use butter or crisco shortening and others a vegetable oil.

The first time I tried them, I had opted for an oil based cookie and really have never looked back since.

They turned out soft, ever so tender and with a sweet lemon kick.

How to make Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

These Lemon knot cookies are pretty simple to make and with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder and the salt in a medium sized bowl.

Then with a stand mixer or a hand held mixer you’ll beat the eggs and sugar together.

Next in are the oil, cream, vanilla, lemon zests and juice while mixing until combined.

Add in the flour mixture and mix til thoroughly combined.

How to form knots for Italian Lemon Cookies

You can start forming the knots as soon as your tarallucci dough is ready, however if your dough is too soft simply cover it with a plastic wrap and set it aside for 15 minutes.

This will make it easier to roll out and it bears mentioning that the dough is very forgiving. So if you mess up the knots at the beginning, simply re-roll them!

Start by scooping out pieces of dough slightly smaller than a golf ball.

With lightly floured hands, roll the piece of dough out to about 7 inches long.

Twist the dough to form a loop while inserting one end through the loop to form a knot.

Place them about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet allowing them room to grow.

They don’t spread out too much but puff up rather prettily. When they’re ready they’ll look pale golden in colour with a slight browning on the outer edges.

My oven tends to darken cookies on the outer edge of the baking sheet. However it didn’t change the overall texture of the darker cookies.

Once the tarallucci cookies have cooled, dip them in a lemon glaze and place them on a wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off.

Make sure to place the wire rack over a baking sheet to catch all that drip.

Tarallucci can also be topped with sprinkles of your choice. But all you really need to adorn this simple Italian cookie is a luscious lemon glaze.

I love them just the way they are! Easy to make and oh so delicious!

And if you love lemon cookies as much as I do then you’ll adore these Lemon Ricotta Cookies. They’re an Italian classic cookie. So soft and with a melt-in-your-mouth bite!

This recipe was first Published June 19 2016 and republished June 10 2020 with updated content and photos.

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3.21 from 29 votes

Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

Tarallucci al Limone are Italian lemon knot cookies and extremely easy to make. These soft to the bite cookies are dipped in a luscious lemon glaze.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian lemon knot cookies, lemon cookies, tarallucci al limone

Servings: cookies

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Parchment paper

Ingredients

LEMON COOKIE DOUGH

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil vegetable or sunflower oil is also fine
1/4 cup cream I used 15% cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

LEMON GLAZE

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
With a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together for about 1 minute.
Add the oil, cream, vanilla extract, the lemon zest, lemon juice and mix until combined.
Mix in the flour mixture beating for 1 minute til the dough is thoroughly combined.
The dough will be soft and tacky but still easy to work with.
Transfer the dough to a work surface.
Cut off pieces of dough, slightly smaller than a golf ball and roll out into a log about a 1/2 inch wide and 7 inches long.
I start rolling the dough between the palm of my hands while keeping my hands lightly dusted with flour. And then finished rolling the dough out to 7 inches on a work surface.
Twist the dough to form a loop inserting one end through the loop while forming a knot.
Place on the prepared cookie sheet;
Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
I was able to fit 12 onto each pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. When done the cookies should be pale in colour with lightly browned edges.
Let cool on wire rack.

LEMON GLAZE

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice.
Transfer the lemon glaze to a smaller bowl for easy dipping.
Dip cookies one at at time in lemon glaze, letting excess glaze drip off.
Place cookies on cookie rack till glaze is completely set.

Notes

The original recipe was published on June 19, 2016.

I've revised the recipe and republished on June 10, 2020 with a few switch ups to ensure success in your own kitchens.

The flour amount was increased to 3 1/2 cups

I've decreased the oil to 1/2 cup.

I added 1/4 cup of cream.

And I've also added a tad more lemon zest.

You should have a soft and slightly tacky dough to work with and perfectly manageable to shape and knot.

Keep stored in an airtight container.

Cookies freeze extremely well.

Nutrition