Ricciarelli are one of my all time favorite Italian cookies. They have the most incredibly light melt in your mouth texture and are naturally gluten-free, so I love baking them for friends and family with gluten sensitivities.
Today, we are baking a cranberry orange ricciarelli, but I have a great chocolate version here and a basic recipe here. These cookies can be flavored in so many fun ways, so once you start baking them yourself, this is a great recipe to start making your own.
Let’s get started…
Start by using an electric hand mixer to whip 2 large egg whites in a clean dry bowl until you get firm peaks.
Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of fresh orange juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh orange zest and continue whipping until the add-ins are fully incorporated and the egg whites are nice and frothy.
In a separate bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups of superfine almond flour with 1 2/3 cups of confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and 1/3 cup of dried cranberries and then add the mixture into the whipped egg whites.
Gently mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated, but don’t over mix this dough. Try to keep as much of the air in the egg whites as possible as you work the dry ingredients into them.
Use a lightly greased cookie dough scoop to drop evenly portioned balls of dough into come confectioners sugar…
Roll the dough around until it is completely coated and transfer them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is portioned and coated and then let the cookies set at room temperature for an hour.
Letting this dough sit at room temperature allows a thin skin to form which traps moisture inside the cookies as they bake forcing the dough up and out forming that classic cracked look and the most tender texture.
Bake the cookies in a 300 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until they feel lightly set and the edges are very lightly golden.
These cookies are so special. Bright citrusy flavor, little pops of dried cranberry and a sweet, chewy, melt in your mouth texture that you are going to absolutely adore.
Cranberry Orange Ricciarelli
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups of superfine almond flour
- 1 2/3 cups of confectioners sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of fresh orange juice
- 2 teaspoons of fresh orange zest
- 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups of superfine almond flour with 1 2/3 cups of confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and 1/3 cup of dried cranberries and set aside for now
- In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat 2 large egg whites until thick and frothy with firm peaks
- Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of fresh orange juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh orange zest and beat until well combined
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture and gently fold to combine
- Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated (be careful not to over mix this dough)
- Drop golf ball sized balls into a small dish of confectioners sugar and roll until completely coated
- Transfer the coated cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let rest at room temperature for an hour
- Preheat your oven to 300°
- Before baking, if you prefer round ricciarelli then leave them as is, but if you prefer flatter more disk shaped cookies, gently press them down a bit
- Bake in a 300° oven for 18-20 minutes or until the tops appear set and the edges are lightly browned
