Italian Almond Paste Cookies, also known as almond macaroons, are a soft, chewy, and highly addictive delight perfect for Christmas or Passover. Only four ingredients are required to make this flourless cookie recipe!
Ingredients NEEDED
This almond cookie recipe only requires a few simple ingredients to make lovely tasting macaroon. Top them with sliced almonds, dust with powdered sugar, or for a Christmas treat, drizzle with melted chocolate and add holiday sprinkles!
- Almond Paste – Sold in the baking aisle, but be sure not to grab marzipan or almond filling, which will not work for this recipe.
- Sugar
- Egg White
- Salt
- Optional – almond extract for flavoring, sliced almonds and powdered sugar for decorating
How To Make almond paste cookies recipe
- First beat an egg white until frothy and white.
- Break up the almond paste in smaller pieces and add to the egg white with sugar, salt, and almond extract. Beat until well combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop or roll into 1 inch balls. Place a on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- If desired, gently press sliced almonds in the top and dust with powdered sugar.
- For best results, refrigerate the baking sheet for 1-2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes. (See below for difference between refrigerating and baking immediately.)
- Bake in a 325°F oven for 20-22 minutes or until edges and bottoms are golden brown.
refrigerating vs baking immediately
Some almond macaroon recipes call for refrigerating the cookies before baking and some do not. I tried the cookies both ways to see if there was a major difference.
THE VERDICT: If you are pressed for time, refrigerating does not make any difference in taste or texture. However, chilling first does make a slightly more aesthetically appealing cookie, with a rounded, uniform shape.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes. These cookies are very freezer-friendly. Either freeze after baking and cooled, or portion out into balls and freeze before baking. If baking from frozen, a few minutes will have to be added to the baking time.
Either baked or unbaked cookies may be frozen, well wrapped, up to three months.
How to store
To be fair, these cookies usually don’t last long enough to actually store, but once they have cooled store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
If you need to store opened almond paste, wrap securely and store in the refrigerator up to three months or freeze up to six months.
Where to buy almond paste
Almond paste can be purchased in the baking section of your grocery store. However, make sure you purchasing ALMOND PASTE and not almond filling, which is a different consistency and will not work in these cookies.
It can also be purchased online through Amazon.
Are these cookies gluten free?
Yes. Almond cookies made with almond paste are flourless, so they are naturally gluten free, grain free, and perfect for Passover. If you love the ease of baking without flour, check out my top flourless cookie recipes!
Decorating ideas
Like another ethnic dessert, financiers, these cookies are perfect as is or with some of these flavor enhancers!
- Press sliced almonds in the tops and sprinkle with powdered sugar before baking
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops and add sprinkles (Perfect for Christmas!)
- Use your finger to form an indentation in the middle and add a halved maraschino cherry before baking
- Dip half the cookie in melted chocolate for a “black and white”
- After baking immediately make an indentation in the middle using a small spoon. Fill with Nutella or jam.
More flourless RecipesÂ
For more naturally gluten free recipes, check out some of these favorites!
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches
- Gluten Free Waffles
- Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cookies
SAVE THESE CHEWY ALMOND MACAROONS RECIPE TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARD!
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Italian Almond Paste Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 4 ounces almond paste, (NOT almond filling, SOLO brand recommended*)
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- sliced almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a baking sheet, line with parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl beat the egg white until frothy and white.
- Break up almond paste in smaller chunks and add to the beaten egg white with sugar, salt, and optional almond extract. Beat until well combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion out 1 inch balls, placing on prepared baking sheets about 1-2 inches apart. Dust balls with powdered sugar. If desired, gently press 2-3 almonds into the tops of the cookies, flattening slightly.
- For best results, refrigerate the cookie sheet for 1-2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until edges and bottoms start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes before transporting to a wire rack to cool completely.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?? DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RATE BELOW!
Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
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*SOLO brand almond paste is recommended. Readers have written in about using Odense almond paste, and it makes the batter too thin. If you do use Odense, add 2-3 tablespoons almond flour to offset the consistency. ÂFREEZing / storingÂ
Either freeze after baking and cooled, or portion out into balls and freeze before baking. If baking from frozen, a few minutes will have to be added to the baking time. Either baked or unbaked cookies may be frozen, well wrapped, up to three months. Once they have cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. If you need to store opened almond paste, wrap securely and store in the refrigerator up to three months or freeze up to six months.ÂWHERE TO BUY ALMOND PASTEÂ
Almond paste can be purchased in the baking section of your grocery store. However, make sure you purchasing ALMOND PASTE and not almond filling, which is a different consistency and will not work in these cookies. It can also be purchased online through Amazon. Âdecorating ideas
- Press sliced almonds in the tops and sprinkle with powdered sugar before baking
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops and add sprinkles (Perfect for Christmas!)
- Use your finger to form an indentation in the middle and add a halved maraschino cherry before baking
- Dip half the cookie in melted chocolate for a "black and white"Â
- After baking immediately make an indentation in the middle using a small spoon. Fill with Nutella or jam.Â
Nutrition
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Gal says
I wonder if it’s ok to add orange or lemon juice/zest before baking, has anyone tried this?
Melissa says
This would absolutely work and a great suggestion!
Best,
Melissa
Katie says
Just commenting to say I had the same issue. I used Odense almond paste, so perhaps this paste is less dry than the one used in the recipe? I added almond flour and a bit more sugar to get it to the right consistency
Melissa says
Hi Katie,
Thanks for the follow up. I added a note to the recipe card to use Solo brand or add additional 2-3 tbsp. almond flour to offset the difference in consistency.
Best,
Melissa
Maureen Deam says
Same issue with a liquidy batter. Don’t try to make in a Kitchen Aid mixer, it doesn’t reach the egg white.
Melissa says
Hi Maureen,
I made these again the other day to double check everything, but I did not have the liquidy batter at all. It looked just like the pictures. However, you may be on to something with using a stand mixer. Since it’s a smaller amount of ingredients I just use my hand mixer vs. the Kitchen Aid. I’m wondering for those that had a liquidy batter, if they are 100% certain they were using almond paste, not filling, and how they mixed it?
Best,
Melissa
Sue says
Same issue here — there must be a reason??
Melissa says
Hi Sue,
What brand of almond paste did you use? Also, just to double check, you only used one egg white, regular granulated sugar, and almond paste, not almond filling? As you can see by the picture, almond paste is pretty solid and the only liquid added is from an egg white, so I’m not sure why it would be liquidy. I will make them again this weekend with a different brand almond paste to see if that makes a difference. I typically use Solo brand.
Best,
Melissa
Ben says
I tried the recipe and had issues
The recipe calls for 4 ounces of almond paste but I had to use a full 8 ounce box to get it to the right consistency
And I used solo almond paste
Marianne says
This was a syrupy batter. I couldn’t form a 1″” ball at all. I made one cookie from this batter, it burned. Rather than waste my ingredients I added 1 and 1/2 cups of almond flour. Also, increased almond extract to 1 teaspoon. I shaped my dough into 3″ fingers, rolled in sliced almonds and put in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. The cookies then turned out the way I had hoped.
I used Odense Almond Paste.
Debbie says
Marianne- fantastic modification !!!! They came out great!
Thank you
Stacy says
My dough came out more like cake batter, and I have no idea why. Waiting to see how the first liquidy batch comes out!
Melissa says
Hi Stacy,
Are you sure you used almond paste and not almond cake filling? The cans look almost identical so they can be easily confused!
Best,
Melissa
Carly says
I had some almond paste (definitely paste) that I needed to use up, so I tried these and had the same issue. I ended up with more of a liquid-y batter that left me wondering if this recipe is supposed to include flour?
Melissa says
Hi Carly,
No definitely no flour is needed. To be honest, I’m stumped with why it would be liquidy. Almond paste is pretty solid (as soon in the recipe pic) and the only liquid is one egg white, which is beaten slightly so it has even more structure. The only thing I can think of is big variance in the size of the egg white. If anyone else has any ideas, I’d love to hear them!
Best,
Melissa
Barry says
I had the same issue with the :mix coming out too soft, so that when the ball were placed on the cookie sheet parchment they spread out. I refrigerated the mix for 90 minutes before baking and cut the baking time to about 18 minutes as they flattened out. They came out like thin cookies, but very tasty. I used one extra large egg white. Perhaps a bit of almond flour might tie it together better.