Almond Paste Cookies

Almond Paste Cookies are moist and chewy on the inside, and crunchy and crispy on the outside. Made with only a handful of ingredients, they’re super easy to make, and the best part is these cookies are naturally gluten free.

Almond paste cookies are flavored with the flavor of almonds. You can bake these as is, decorated with almonds, dipped in chocolate or made into thumbprint cookies.

GREAT HOLIDAY COOKIE

Almond paste cookies are always a favorite during the Holidays. They are everything a cookie should be. Slightly sweet, chewy and moist. They’re rolled in almonds and coated in powdered sugar. Yum Yum.

As much as I love the cookies, sometimes I just crave chocolate. When that happens, I make my Chocolate Amaretti Cookies or my Hazelnut Amaretti Cookies that are dipped in chocolate.

TOOLS NEEDED

• Food Processor
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie Scoop

WHY YOU NEED A FOOD PROCESSOR?

For starters, almond paste is very thick and dense. If you add the whole log of almond paste to your food processor, it could damage or even break your food processor.

A recommendation I have is to grate the almond paste into a dish. This will shred the almond paste into smaller, more manageable pieces. Or, you can break off small pieces of the almond paste, so that there are only little pieces in the food processor.

WHAT IS ALMOND PASTE?

Almond paste is made from ground almond or almond meal and sugar. It also has small amounts of cooking oil, eggs and heavy cream as a binder. It is very similar to marzipan. Almond paste is sticky. Marziapan has more sugar, which means it’s usually better for decorating.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE ALMOND PASTE IS HARD?

This can happen if the almond paste has been sitting for a while. The paste can definitely dry out. The best way to soften your almond paste is to warm up in the microwave. Place your almond paste in a microwave safe bowl. Set your microwave to 10 second increments, and mix the paste with a fork every time the microwave stops. Continue until the paste becomes smooth again.

WHY THESE COOKIES WILL BE BECOME YOUR FAVORITE COOKIE RECIPE?

• Easiest cookie to make.
• Amazing almond flavor in every bite.
• Moist and chewy insides.
• Chewy and crisp outsides.
• They last several days stored in an airtight container.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN ALMOND PASTE COOKIES ARE DONE?

These are done when the bottoms start looking slightly brown around the edges, about 16-18 minutes. Do not over-bake the cookies. The cookies may seem soft or underdone when you remove them, but they do harden as they cool.

The longer you bake the cookies, the harder they will be. The cookies should be soft. Let them cool for about 20 minute before moving them to a cooling rack. Then, cool completely before coating in powdered sugar. The cookies should end up with a crunchy exterior and a soft center.

WHY YOU SHOULD CHILL THE DOUGH?

Chilling the dough for at least an hour isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does make the cookie dough easier to work with. It will also be easier to roll them into balls. I highly recommend chilling the dough and covering withsSaran wrap.

This cookie dough is super sticky. If you find that your hands are getting to sticky, you can rinse your hands with warm water to rinse them off.

TIPS

• Use a cookie scoop to make sure all the cookies are the same size.
• Make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I have found that using a silpat mat is not the best choice for this recipe. The cookies stick to the mat. I spray parchment paper with non stick cooking spray. The batter is really sticky. If not, it will be really hard to remove from the baking sheet.
• Separate the egg whites while the eggs are nice and cold. Cold eggs separate much easier. Then let come to room temperature.
• You can use sliced almonds or crushed almonds. Or if you prefer, just make them plain.
• Make sure you measure your dry ingredients. Baking is all about precise measurements.
• Be careful not to over-mix. I recommend creaming together the almond paste and the granulated sugar.
• Don’t overbake. A longer baking time will result in a hard and crunchy cookie. Just bake until bottoms start to get golden on the bottom.

CAN YOU FREEZE THESE COOKIES?

Yes you can. You can always bake these ahead of time, and freeze them for another time. I do recommend layering with parchment paper, so they don’t freeze together, or freeze in a single layer. Wrap them in a ziplock bag that is also wrapped in tinfoil for an extra layer. Try and press out as much air as you can for the freshest cookies. They can be frozen for up to two months. Let them thaw at room temperature.

HOW LONG DO ALMOND COOKIES LAST?

Almond cookies will last up to 5 days in an airtight container. After that, they tend to get stale and hard.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR ALMOND PASTE COOKIES

• 1 Cup Finely Ground Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Large Egg Whites
• 1 1/4 Tsp Almond Extract
• 16 Ounce Almond Paste
• 1- 2.5 Ounce Bag Sliced Almonds
• Powdered Sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING ALMOND PASTE COOKIES

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Break up the almond paste into pieces and put into a food processor.
• Add the salt, sugar, egg whites and almond extract and blend until smooth. The dough should be wet and sticky.
• Chill the dough for at least one hour prior to rolling.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a cookie scoop, scoop out about 1 tablespoon for each cookie and roll out. Using a cookie scoop will help keep the cookies the same size. If your hands become very sticky, you can rinse them with warm water.
• If you do decide to use almond slices- add some almond slices to a bowl and dip the rolled cookie ball into the almonds, and slightly press them down.
• Place cookies about 1 inch apart, and bake until the edges start to golden, about 15-20 minutes.
• Cool on rack.
• Dust with powdered sugar after they are cool.

Almond Paste Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Almond Paste Cookies are moist and chewy on the inside, and crunchy and crispy on the outside. Made with only a handful of ingredients, they’re super easy to make and the best part is these cookies are naturally gluten free.

• Author: Allie
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 18 Minutes
• Total Time: 33 Minutes
• Yield: 15 Cookies 1x
• Category: Desserts, Cookies
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Cup Finely Ground Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Large Egg Whites
• 1 Tsp Almond Extract
• 16 Ounce Almond Paste
• 1 Bag Sliced Almonds
• 2/3 Cup Powdered Sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Break up the almond paste into pieces and put into a food processor.
• Add the salt, sugar, egg whites and almond extract, and blend until smooth. The dough should be wet and sticky.
• Chill the dough for at least one hour prior to rolling.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Scoop out about 1 tablespoon for each cookie and roll out. Using a cookie scoop will help keep the cookies the same size. If your hands become very sticky, you can rinse them with warm water.
• If you do decide to use almond slices- add some almond slices to a bowl and dip the rolled cookie ball into the almonds, and slightly press them down.
• Place cookies about 1 inch apart, and bake until the edges start to golden, about 16-18 minutes.
• Cool on rack.
• Dust with powdered sugar after they are cool.

Notes

• Make sure you chill the dough for at least an hour.
• The cooking times do vary.  Mine took about 18 minutes.  Start checking the cookies at 15 minutes.

Keywords: Almond Paste Cookies, Gluten Free Cookie Recipe, Gluten Free Almond Cookie Recipe, Holiday Cookie Recipe

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Food Processor

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Cookie Scoop

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