Flourless Soft Almond Cookies (Pasticcini di Mandorle) can be tender and marzipan-like when baked briefly or given a few extra minutes for a slightly crunchy chew. Made with just four ingredients, these delightful cookies are naturally gluten-free and perfect for Passover or an Easter treat.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Italian cookies are built for dunking and long shelf life — perfect companions to a strong espresso or an afternoon tea. From biscotti to taralli dolce di Pasqua, Italy’s cookie tradition delivers flavors and textures that keep people coming back for more. These flourless soft almond cookies are no exception.
They require only four pantry-friendly ingredients: almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and eggs. No mixer is needed — simply combine, shape, coat in powdered sugar, and bake. The result is a naturally gluten-free, grain-free cookie that works beautifully for holiday celebrations, gifting, or everyday indulgence.
These mandorle are charming without decoration, but if you want a touch of spring color, you can tint the confectioners’ sugar with powdered natural food coloring. Small packets of powdered color make soft pastel hues when mixed with the sugar, perfect for Easter or special occasions.
Instructions
This overview summarizes the steps. The full recipe card below contains complete ingredient amounts and times.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon zest. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix until a dough forms.
- Place about ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. If coloring the sugar, divide it into small bags and knead in powdered food coloring until evenly tinted.
- Scoop dough into slightly rounded 1-tablespoon portions. Roll each ball in the confectioners’ sugar, then roll between your palms to smooth the surface and remove excess sugar.
- Arrange the cookie balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Press a small indentation in the center of each cookie to promote even baking.
- Bake for 11–12 minutes for soft, marzipan-like cookies, or 14–15 minutes for cookies with a slightly crunchy-chewy exterior.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month. For gifting or shipping, wrap cookie pairs bottom-to-bottom in plastic wrap, place wrapped bundles in a freezer-weight zip-top bag, or layer cookies in a container between sheets of wax paper. Add crumpled tissue to prevent movement if shipping.
More Italian cookie recipes
If you enjoy these almond cookies, you might also like other classic Italian sweets: Italian butter cookies that melt in your mouth, taralli dolce di Pasqua with citrus icing, soft Italian chocolate cookies with a cake-like crumb, or a variety of biscotti — chocolate espresso, lemon, chocolate chip, and chocolate mint are all excellent choices.
My experience with this recipe
The author notes a sensitivity to tree nuts, but tested these cookies by baking with almonds and relying on taste testers for feedback. The responses were enthusiastic: tasters rarely stopped at one cookie and kept reaching for more. The cookies consistently earned positive reactions for their flavor and texture.
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Flourless Soft Almond Cookies (Pasticcini di Mandorle)
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups almond flour
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar plus about ½ cup for coating
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- Optional for colored sugar coating:
- 3 packages of powdered natural food coloring red, blue, yellow
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon zest.
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Add the beaten eggs and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
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Put ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl for coating.
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Optional: For colored sugar, divide sugar into small bags and knead in ¼ teaspoon powdered color at a time until the desired shade is reached.
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Scoop dough into slightly rounded 1-tablespoon portions. Roll in confectioners’ sugar and smooth between your palms, removing excess sugar.
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Place cookies 2 inches apart and press a small indentation in the center of each for even baking.
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Bake 11–12 minutes for soft cookies or 14–15 minutes for slightly crunchy-chewy cookies.
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Cool completely on a wire rack before storing.
Notes
- Use blanched almond flour (finely ground) for the best texture. Coarser almond meal will change the result.
- To boost almond flavor, add ½–1 teaspoon of almond extract if desired.
Packing tips
- Wrap cookie pairs bottom-to-bottom in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-weight zip-top bag for shipping.
- Layer cookies between sheets of wax paper in a storage container. Use crumpled tissue to prevent movement when shipping.
Nutrition
First Published: March 14, 2018. Last Updated: February 18, 2022. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.