Italian Almond Paste Cookies, also known as almond macaroons, are a soft, chewy, and absolutely unbeatable delight perfect for holidays. Only four main 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!

a stack of two almond paste cookies with the top one having a bite taken out
Don’t let this unassuming cookies fool you! Every time I make this recipe the plate is devoured at record speed. They have a magical taste and texture no one can resist!

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Ingredient Tips

This Italian 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 – Almond paste contains sugar, so the amount can be lessened or left out.
  • 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!

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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.

egg whites beaten briefly in a glass bowl.
Beat the egg whites to just frothy.

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.

ingredients for almond cookies in a large glass bowl.
This is what your almond paste should look like. It’s thick, like cookie dough.

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.

the cookies portioned out on a baking sheet with a cookie scoop.
Just like traditional Italian-style cookies, I like to make them small so people can sample lots of different ones.
unbaked cookies on a baking sheet with powdered sugar and almonds on top.
Decorate with a dusting of powdered sugar and sliced almonds.

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!

image showing the difference between baking macaroons immediately versus refrigerated first.

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

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.
landscape view of two almond cookies with one having a bite taken out
Crisp and chewy on the outside with soft, creamy almond flavor inside. These are Italian almond cookies at their finest, plus naturally gluten-free!

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a stack of two almond paste cookies with the top one having a bite taken out
4.50 stars (193 ratings)

Airy, Chewy Italian Almond Paste Cookies

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 32
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
chilling: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
Italian Almond Paste Cookies, also known as almond macaroons, are a soft, chewy, and absolutely unbeatable delight perfect for holidays. Only four main 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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Ingredients
 

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!
Sugar
Almond paste contains sugar, so the amount of sugar added may be reduced or left out for a less sweet cookie.
 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.
Calories: 60kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 0.2mg
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