Almond Cookies

Almond Cookies-1-8Whenever we bake sweets for the holidays or special occasions, my Mom and sisters like to satisfy the cravings of as many family members as possible. On Christmas, Mom makes sure to bake every single person’s favorite cookie. I know, she’s awesome. It’s always nice when you can please as many people as possible with one cookie, instead of having to bake several varieties.

These Almond Cookies happen to be a favorite among the men folk. My Dad, both my brothers, both brother-in-laws and my husband all devour these cookies when they are made. In fact, they are usually one of the first cookies to be completely demolished. Whenever we visit my parents in New York, Mom makes sure to pack us along some treats for the road, front he abundance of goodies that she make while we are visiting. One year, as she was packing us a variety of different cookies, Sergi asked if there were any more Almond Cookies left. There weren’t. My little sister, Karina, happened to hear from the corner of her ear (that’s a Russian expression all the way!) and while we were packing our car, she quickly whipped together a batch of these cookies. She is so thoughtful and sweet. Of course, there was no need to bake us cookies, but she just wanted to surprise Sergi with a treat, and we were definitely surprised and very touched. She and Sergi are really close; can you tell?

I’ve had many requests for this recipe, so I finally took the time to do it. The cookies are so easy to make, and the resulting chewy, very almondy treats are great for any occasion, whether it’s a regular Tuesday, a holiday or party. You can also make the cookie dough ahead of time. How’s that for convenience?

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

8 egg whites

2 lbs almond paste

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

2-4 cups sliced almonds

Instructions:

Almond Cookies-1Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Separate the eggs; you will need only the egg whites for the cookies. Save the egg yolks to make custard/pastry cream, fruit salad or homemade pasta. Almond Cookies-1-2In a large bowl, mix the egg whites, almond paste, sugars and flour until the mixture is evenly combined. You can use a standing mixer, a hand held mixer, a food processor or even mix it by hand. The cookie dough will be very sticky.

Almond Cookies-1-3

Almond Cookies-1-4Sometimes, I put it in the refrigerator to make it easier to handle, although it’s not necessary at all. It’s really convenient to make the cookie dough ahead of time and then shape and bake them later.

Place the sliced almonds into a shallow bowl. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons and drop about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of cookie dough into the almonds and cover the cookie dough on all sides with the almonds. Almond Cookies-1-5

Almond Cookies-1-6You can use as much or as little almonds as you like. The original recipe calls for 2 cups of almonds, but I used double that amount.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, about 1  inch apart and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Almond Cookies-1-7The cookies should turn golden brown around the edges and on the bottom, but will still be pale on top. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.Almond Cookies-1-13

Almond Cookies
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweets
Serves: 60-70 cookies
Ingredients
  • 8 egg whites
  • 2 lbs almond paste
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2-4 cups sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Separate the eggs; you will need only the egg whites for the cookies. In a large bowl, mix the egg whites, almond paste, sugars and flour until the mixture is evenly combined. You can use a standing mixer, a hand held mixer, a food processor or even mix it by hand. The cookie dough will be very sticky. Sometimes, I put it in the refrigerator to make it easier to handle, although it's not necessary at all.
  3. Place the sliced almonds into a shallow bowl. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons and drop about 1½ Tablespoons of cookie dough into the almonds and cover the cookie dough on all sides with the almonds. You can use as much or as little almonds as you like. The original recipe calls for 2 cups of almonds, but I used double that amount.
  4. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. The cookies should turn golden brown around the edges and on the bottom, but will still be pale on top. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

29 Comments

  • Katy

    Wow, these look like something my husband would love as well. Where do you buy almond paste? I’ve never used it before in cooking or baking. Does the cookie come out chewy or crispy?

    • olgak7

      Hi Katy.
      Most stores sell almond paste. Look in the baking aisle. It’s much cheaper to buy it in bulk though. Look at GFS, Costco, Sam’s Club, etc. The cookies are chewy. Enjoy.

  • angela

    Wow, I’m so excited about this recipe! I have been waiting a long time for you to post this 🙂 I’ve tried these once before and they were unforgettable! I’m also wondering were you buy almond paste? Or do you make it from scratch?

    • olgak7

      I’m glad I finally posted it, Angela:). You can make almond paste from scratch, (tons of recipes online) but most stores sell it too. Look in the baking aisle. It’s much cheaper to buy it in bulk though. Look at GFS, Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.

  • Tanya

    Having a hard time finding almond past. Checked Costco, SAMs club, Smart and Final, Safeway and found only almond flour, which I’ll add is Expensive. 1lb $10:)

    • olgak7

      Well, I can’t vouch for the grocery supplies in every part of the country, only what I’m familiar with in my area. Sorry. Also, almond paste is not made with almond flour; it’s made with blanched almonds, sugar and sometimes egg whites. There are many, many recipes online for homemade almond paste. I’m sure you can easily make it yourself, if you’d like, and almonds are easy to find in any store. Hope that helps.

      • Tanya

        Finally found the Almond paste at Walmart. $4.07 per 8oz. Made them and they turned out Great! Never tasted anything like it. Very unique taste. I love trying new foods. Thank you Olga for all the wonderful recipes and the time you put in them. God Bless!

  • Valentin

    These cookies are one of the best sorts in the world!!! Both crunchy and chewy! Perfection! We eat them by the bucket!

  • Tina

    I just tried these tonight and they are amazing cookies!! My sister in law made these and I swallowed one after another! So glad she gave us a little to go baggy 🙂

  • Olya

    I just made these and they are delicious although next time I will put less sugar. I’d say they taste like “almond macarons”. I made my own almond paste, which was quite easy and MUCH cheaper than buying it at a store (I had a 3 lb bag of almonds from Costco). Thanks for this recipe, Olga!

    • olgak7

      I store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They never last long for me because so many people in my family love them. Like any homemade cookie, they are best fresh, but I’m sure they will last for a few days.

  • Marina Titus

    Love this recipe! Once I made it and didn’t have enough almond slices to cover the cookies so I used crushed walnuts on the other half of the batch. STILL SO GOOD! Making the recipe again today and doing half batch almond slices and half batch with crushed walnuts.

  • Inga

    Made these today, they turned out scrumptious. I used GF flour and am delighted by the texture and the taste. I also used up 4cups if sliced almonds so I had some toasted almonds on hand that I processed and coated the rest in those – turned out delicious! Will do that next time since it’s cheaper than buying sliced almonds. Also made my own almond paste (first time) and I used blanched almond flour instead of blanched almonds and proportions and texture is still perfect. Thank you for this lovely recipe!

  • Katie

    Can you freeze these? How long do they last if you want to make them in advance for Christmas? They look amazing. I’m very excited to try them!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get Weekly Menu Ideas, Recipes, Kitchen Hacks:

Join thousands of others to get my best cooking and meal prep tips plus handpicked seasonal menu ideas in your email.