Italian Almond Paste Cookies, also known as almond macaroons, are a soft, chewy, and absolutely irresistible delight perfect for Christmas or Passover. Only four ingredients are required to make this flourless cookie recipe. These 5-Star naturally gluten-free cookies have earned hundreds of rave reviews. See for yourself!
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Ingredient Tips
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 (just like homemade gluten-free pizzelles), 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. SOLO brand is recommended over Odense because the batter and cookies hold shape better. To offset the runnier batter when using Odense, add 2-4 tablespoons almond flour to the dough.
- Sugar
- Egg Whites
- Almond Flour – Adding a small amount of almond flour adds structure to the dough, helping the cookies from becoming flat during baking. If you do not have almond four on hand, easily make your own using extra almonds! See my almond flour recipes post to see how simple it is!
- Optional – sliced almonds and powdered sugar for decorating
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How To Make Almond Paste Cookies Recipe
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Brief egg white mix
Place the egg whites in a bowl large enough to add all the other ingredients. Use a hand mixer to beat the whites just until they are frothy. No stiff peaks here! Just enough to loosen the eggs and make some bubbles.
Beat in other ingredients
Here’s a quick, yet essential tip. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment is the way to go here. Some readers said their batter was too runny, and turns out, a paddle attachment was the culprit! Break up your almond paste into the bowl and add the almond flour, sugar, and salt.
Scoop, chill, bake
There’s more on this below because I went full-sleuth on deciding which was the best method for baking. But, for best results use a small cookie scoop to portion out the macaroons quickly and evenly, or just roll into 1-inch balls. Dust with powder sugar, press a few almonds on top and you are almost to homemade Italian cookie heaven!
You could pop them in the oven straight away, but for a puffier, airy shape, I recommend chilling for 1-2 hours before baking. Then bake at 350°F for 16 minutes and try your hardest to not take down the whole pan in one sitting. Seriously.
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. I recommend at least chilling 1 hour.
UPDATE (11/2025): I recently tested the recipe again and found chilling doesn’t make such a difference now that almond flour is added to the recipe. Good news – you can skip the chilling!
Storage and Freezing Tips
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.
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.
Where Do I Get 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.
For these cookies, I highly recommend using SOLO brand. Another popular brand, Odense will work, but the batter will be a little runny. To offset this, add an additional 1/4 cup almond flour, or until the dough becomes thick enough to scoop and hold shape.
If you cannot find SOLO brand almond paste at your local store, it may also be purchased online through Amazon.
Decorating Inspo
Like other ethnic desserts, financiers and gluten-free biscotti, 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.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Airy, Chewy Italian Almond Paste Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 8 ounces (227 g) almond paste (NOT almond filling), SOLO brand almond paste recommended over ODENSE brand, but see recipe notes for modifications
- ⅔ cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, or almond extract
- ½ cup (52 g) almond flour
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- sliced almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet, line with parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Use a hand mixer instead of stand mixer. Using a stand mixer makes the batter too runny.- In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until frothy and opaque white.2 egg whites
Break up almond paste in smaller chunks and add to the beaten egg whites with sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined. Mix in the almond flour.8 ounces almond paste (NOT almond filling), ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup almond flour- For best results, cover the dough and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes. (See UPDATE in recipe notes.)
- 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.
- Bake for 16-18 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.
Notes
Update (11/2025)
I recently tested the recipe again and found chilling doesn’t make such a difference now that almond flour is added to the recipe. So you can skip the chilling!Important note about 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. For these cookies, I highly recommend using SOLO brand. Another popular brand, Odense will work, but the batter will be a little runny. To offset this, add an additional 1/4 cup almond flour, or until the dough becomes thick enough to scoop and hold shape. SOLO brand almond paste may also be purchased online through Amazon.Freezing / storing
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.Note about original recipe:
(12/21) I received a lot of reader comments about the batter being too runny. I discovered when using a stand mixer the dough becomes significantly thinner. I added the note about using a hand mixer instead, which helps the dough have a better consistency. A more significant change is the addition of almond flour. I also started to have problems with the batter consistency! I’m haven’t found evidence that SOLO changed their almond paste formula, but something seems to have altered. Therefore, adding 1/2 cup almond flour brings the dough back to how it was when I originally posted the recipe, and yields great results. Without the almond flour, the cookies spread and become very thin and chewy. Also, originally the recipe made half the amount. Since the almond paste I recommend is now only sold in 8 ounce packages, I doubled the recipe to use the whole package.This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
I’m not a fan, sorry. These came out so dense with the addition of the almond flour. I get these from my local Italian bakery and these are way heavier and not airy at all. I’ve made macaroons before and they have the perfect texture with no flour added. I followed the recipe exactly too and I’m an experienced baker. They also were undercooked in the center but brown on the bottom so I think they need to be flattened a little bit or baked at a lower temp. Also I love salt, but do not like the salt in this cookie. It’s overpowering. Refrigerating them does not help they are still sticky to roll. My guess is they would have been good without the almond flour and salt. Just my two cents to help others because almond paste is expensive and I feel like this was sadly a waste of ingredients.
Hi Lynda,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. I’m a little confused about the “sticky to roll” part. These cookies aren’t designed to be rolled. Perhaps this isn’t the type of cookie you were expecting. Regardless, I apologize if you felt they were a waste of ingredients. I know that is very frustrating. Wishing you a joyful holiday season.
Best,
Melissa
OMG! It is so good! Thank you for sharing 😋. Naturally gluten free and dairy free! Perfect!
So glad to hear, Maria! Merry Christmas!
Best,
Melissa
This recipe is very very sweet.
I can vouch that the original Italian are also very sweet. Reminds me of my childhood. I will be making these with the leftover paste from my rainbow cookies (the 3 colours of the Italian flag conveniently coincide with Christmas colours).
Oh, the rainbow cookies! I used to love those 🙂 Maybe I need to create a GF version of those as well!
Best,
Melissa
These Airy, Chewy Italian Almond Paste Cookies are a huge hit at my gatherings! So easy to make and so light and delicious!!
Thank you, Susan! So glad you loved them!
Best,
Melissa
DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS! I adore almond and this goes straight to my all-tme favorite list. I can’t wait to try more of Melissa’s recipes!!!
Thank you, Tracy! I really appreciate your enthusiasm and am happy you’re here!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa! I watched your video on the Italian almond paste cookies. I have bought almond flour before and didn’t care much for it. What brand do you recommend? I do enjoy your recipes and have changed my baking flour to the Cup 4 Cup after watching your reviews on the different brands. I do appreciate and value your recommendations. Thank you!
After trying these I will post how they turned out. They look so good.
Hi Lisa,
Oh, I’m so glad you are finding the recipes helpful! I use the Costco Kirkland brand of almond flour, but I will say, I don’t think it’s the brand that makes the difference, it’s pretty much the nature of almond flour itself. It’s a denser, heavier “flour” because it’s just ground nuts. I too never enjoyed the taste of almond flour because I found it made baked goods almost “wet” tasting, if that makes sense. However, I’ve figured out some unique ways to bake with it and make adjustments to my recipes to get rid of those textures.
For these cookies, though, it’s such a small amount of almond flour, you won’t even notice the taste or that it’s in there. I use it to build up the structure of the cookie. Hope that helps!
Best,
Melissa
Thank you so much for responding! True not much in there….
I love these cookies, very easy to make, not a lot of ingredients.
I wanted a new cookie for a holiday cookie exchange and this is the one that won.
Oh yay! Love an officially winning cookie recipe! Thanks so much for leaving me a note about it.
Best,
Melissa
Sensational. I followed the recipe with a slight change: used 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract instead of 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond. Baked 16-17 min. These are delicious and such an easy recipe. I’m thinking they’d make pretty gift cookies.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Linda! I appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
The recipe calls for 1/4 c almond flour, then you say later on to add 1/2 c almond flour to help with the runnyness Is that on top of the 1/4 c that’s in original recipe, or total amount of almond flour that .
Hi Renee,
For the 1/4 cup amount, that is when I talk about using a different brand of almond paste. If not using Solo brand, I suggest adding up to an additional 1/4 cup almond flour. You would add the 1/2 cup no matter what, but if the batter is too thin, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour will help with structure. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Best,
Melissa
Very yummy! I was able to get 86 after doubling this recipe, per your instructions!
I sub’d almond extract for the vanilla and wow, so good! I ended up putting the dough in the freezer and they rolled much easier for me.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Debby! It’s helpful for others and I appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
These came out great, but I must’ve used the wrong size scoop because it only made 15 cookies🥲I used the OXO one and a half tablespoon size No. 40. Did anyone out there use a different OXO cookie scoop that yielded 40 cookies? I think that would’ve made the inside less mushy and a little crispy around the outside, but they were delicious either way.
Hi Lee,
I use a 1 tablespoon scoop and get around 35 cookies. 15 cookies had to have disappeared in no time!
Best,
Melissa
Can the cookie be topped with a maraschino cherry before or after baking
Hi Jackie,
I would use candied cherries instead of maraschino and you can place them in before. If you want to use maraschinos, I would blot dry with paper towels, chop, and add them in the dough.
Best,
Melissa
Mine taste good, but they were very sticky & hard to form into balls. Also they are kinda harder than I had expected once baked. I probably did something wrong though…
Hi Amanda,
Did you add the bit of almond flour to the batter? If so, I would add a little more next time until you have a little something more manageable to work with. They shouldn’t be that sticky. It could be the brand of almond paste used too. There seems to be a lot of various between the brands. And just to make sure, you used almond paste, not almond filling?
Best,
Melissa
I have made this recipe twice, both using a stand mixer. I can’t comment on whether a hand mixer would make a stiffer dough, just that adding more almond flour to the loose dough seems to do the trick. I had a wild idea to try to grate the almond paste and it worked! Room temperature worked with the need to roll pieces in balls and push them into the grates, but I used the smallest grate and it mixed with everything else so much easier (than the first time I made them by crumbling the paste). I imagine you could refrigerate or even freeze the almond paste to grate easier, but I did not try that. I have received rave reviews and a request to make them again. This is a keeper recipe!
I really appreciate you sharing these details, Noelle! Thanks so much!
Best,
Melissa
I usually do not like it when people alter my recipe, so forgive me. I swapped the vanilla for almond extract. Amazing! Easy recipe with impressive results.
Thanks for sharing, Kelli! And I’m glad it worked out so well!
Best,
Melissa
This is the closest recipe to my favorite Italian bakery – i tweaked the flour to 2/3 cup and added a teaspoon of amaretto to boost the almond flavor. After much research and many batches of cookies baked, I have “the one”! (I forgot to refrigerate and the shape was good)
So wonderful to hear, Penny! Thanks so much!
Best,
Melissa
These cookies are wonderful! I use to buy similar ones from an Italian bakery that went out of business and your recipe is a close match to theirs. I find I only get less than 25 small cookies so would need to double the recipe for sure for more. Since almond paste is expensive, wondering if making my own would be better and also provide the same results? Thank you
Hi Cindy,
Glad you enjoyed them! Yes, almond paste is expensive and unfortunately these cookies are so good they don’t stick around very long! Other readers have written in about making their own almond paste and it works well with this recipe!
Best,
Melissa
These came out perfect! They were so easy to make and so yummy! Thanks for the recipe🩷
Thank you so much, Theresa! I love hearing this. It makes my day!
Best,
Melissa
Oh my!! 🤦🏼♀️ I must need new 👓. LOL…I will bake a double batch! Thanks!
No worries! Enjoy, Kathy!
I must be overlooking it but can anyone tell me how many cookies a 1x recipe makes? Thanks!
Hi Kathy,
It’s sneaky, at the very top of the recipe. It makes 34 cookies, but they are gone fast! It’s hard to just eat one…or five.
Best,
Melissa
Easy recipe and cookies come out flavorful and soft. Used this recipe 3x and everyone enjoys them.
Lovely to hear, Kathy. Thank you so much for taking the time to share!
Best,
Melissa
This recipe is a keeper. I made it 5Xs this past Xmas and they disappeared too quickly.
My suggestions: refrigerating the batter, use a small cookie scoop, drop it in powdered sugar, form it in a ball, press a sliced almond on top, and sprinkle with edible gold glitter which made it look so festive. I’ve given out this recipe to everyone who ate it. Their smile & twinkle in their eyes, tells it all. Thank you for a perfectly delicious cookie!
What great ideas, Jeanne! Thank you for sharing this lovely feedback!
Best,
Melissa
Just made these cookies and I absolutely love them. They remind me of the Italian pignoli cookies. I will definitely make these again and again.
Thank you so much, Rachel! I really appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
I’m really confused about what type of mixer to use. Are you recommending only a hand mixer? Or is it fine to use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment? I see notes pointing in both directions here. I really want to make these and I don’t have a hand mixer.
Hey Amy,
Thanks for pointing that out. I clarified it in the post. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Using a paddle attachment on a stand mixer didn’t have good results.
Best,
Melissa
Amazing! Thank you so much for the speedy reply! I’m going to make them today.
These are simple to make and taste DELICIOUS. I put in the freezer for 30 minutes and they baked up beautifully. The texture was perfect and tasted great! Thank you, again!!
I make my own almond paste too- 1950’s Betty Crocker Cookbook- Can I use the boxed egg whites do you think????
Hi Elena,
Hmm, I’m not sure. I’ve never used them for baking. Have you? If they would work for meringues and such? If so, then yes, it would work for this.
Best,
Melissa
They say not to use for meringues; but I have and its worked. Maybe I’ll play- It’s because their pasturized. Recipe was so good- thank you
Thanks for sharing! I’d love to hear back when you do.
Best,
Melissa
I make my own almond paste so easy . Almond flour, powdered sugar ,egg white and almond extract.
Sounds amazing! Does it work well with these cookies?
Best,
Melissa
I will be making amaretti cookies for a wedding cookie table. Is it possible to pipe your recipe? And would you then refrigerate the piped cookies before baking?
I so appreciate your comments regarding the addition of almond flour to your original recipe. It just may have solved our mystery as to why we get flat cookies from a recipe used successfully a couple of years ago.
Hi Beth,
If you are doing this for a wedding, I would recommend a test batch with piping. The dough is pretty thick so you would have to have a pretty open star tip. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to refrigerate the dough before baking, but perhaps that is something else you can test. Let me know what you think!
Best,
Melissa
Thank you for your reply and five star instruction; my cookies are lovely and delicious. I made the recipe exactly as instructed with the exception of baker’s sugar instead of granulated. I piped this dough using a Wilton 1M star tip. I tried two methods for baking one tray piped and refrigerated for two hours and the another with no refrigeration. There was little to no difference in the spread of the baked cookie. They held their shape beautifully. I like topping with almonds as it lets the taster know a bit about the cookie especially at a wedding cookie table. I also love the texture. Nice crunch in a chewy cookie. I tried sliced almonds and blanched whole almonds. The whole almonds are less time consuming to place. They do brown just a bit as they bake with the cookie.
Love this! Thank you so much for taking the time to write back and I love knowing they can be piped. The Italian cookie table at weddings was something I grew up on. 🙂
Best,
Melissa
Many of our italian bakeries put a cherry on top of some and a nut on others. My grandma put a pinole on top 🙂
That is a lovely idea! Thanks for sharing, Elena.
Best,
Melissa
Absolutely the cookie that gets the most compliments and requests for the recipe!
Love hearing this, Holly! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Best,
Melissa
The best almond cookies I ever made!
My family and I couldn’t stop eating them! I’m heading back to the store for more almond paste. I’m making a double batch so I’ll have some for later. Excellent with coffee!
I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. You should also try the financiers recipe on the site. Your family will LOVE them if they love these. And you don’t have to buy almond paste, which is kind of pricey!
Best,
Melissa