Mandorlini | Paste di Mandorla – Sicilian Almond/Marzipan Cookies
- Christmas, Cookies & Pastries, Italy
Mandorlini or Paste di Mandorla is a delicious almond-marzipan cookie originated from the beautiful Island of Sicily in Italy. They are soft and chewy on the inside, while the outside is crunchy and covered with sliced almonds and powdered sugar. They are a classic Italian Christmas cookie, however they can also be enjoyed all year round. They go perfectly with a nice cup of coffee or an espresso.
Sicily is a beautiful Island in Italy and is very well known for their almond-marzipan cookies or Paste di Mandorla. The reason for this is that the Island is covered with almond trees and therefore, is also known as the Island of almonds.
Since marzipan itself mainly consists of finely ground almonds and some sugar – Mandorlini or Paste di Mandorla are pretty much Sicily in the form of a cookie.
Now, gather your ingredients and try out this recipe. It will be a great addition to this year’s Christmas cookie selection.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe:
- marzipan | almond paste
- powdered sugar
- brown sugar
- peeled, ground almonds
- flour
- baking powder
- egg white
- Amaretto
- peeled, sliced almonds
- powdered sugar for dusting
How to make Mandorlini:
(1) Gather all ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add 100 g powdered sugar, 75 g brown sugar, 150 g peeled-ground almonds, 25 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg white and 30 ml Amaretto.
(2) Crumble up the marzipan | almond paste
Crumble up the marzipan | almond paste and add it to the mixing bowl.
(3) Mix the dough
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Use your hand to fully combine all the ingredients. Since, the dough will be a little bit sticky, you can also use some food-safe disposable gloves.
(4) Shape the cookies and cover with sliced almonds
Place 75 g sliced almonds in a separate bowl or plate.
Take a little bit of the dough and roll it in the palm of your hands to form a walnut-size round cookie shape.
Cover it with sliced almonds by rolling it in the bowl or plate filled with the sliced almonds.
Depending on the size, you will get about 15 – 20 cookies.
Note: If the dough has dried up too much and the almond slices won’t stick – just add a little bit of water to the palm of your hands.
(5) Bake at 180°C
Preheat the oven and bake at 180°C for about 8-12 min, depending on the size. They should be lightly browned.
(6) Dust with powdered sugar
Finally, when the Mandorlini are cooled down, lightly dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
Some Recipe Tips:
Storage Tip: When the cookies are completely cooled down, place them in an air-tight container or a cookie jar. This way they can last up to 14 days.
Great Gift: Mandorlini also look great as gift from the kitchen.
Mandorlini | Paste di Mandorla – Sicilian Almond/Marzipan Cookies
Course: CookiesCuisine: ItalyDifficulty: Easy15 - 20
cookies10
minutes8 - 10
minutes18 - 20
minutesMandorlini or Paste di Mandorla is a delicious almond-marzipan cookie originated from the beautiful Island of Sicily in Italy. They are soft and chewy on the inside, while the outside is crunchy and covered with sliced almonds and powdered sugar. They are a classic Italian Christmas cookie, however they can also be enjoyed all year round.
Ingredients
200 g marzipan | almond paste
100 g powdered sugar
75 g brown sugar
150 g peeled, ground almonds
25 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg white
30 ml Amaretto
75 g peeled, sliced almonds
some powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
Gather all ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add 100 g powdered sugar, 75 g brown sugar, 150 g peeled-ground almonds, 25 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg white and 30 ml Amaretto.
Crumble up the marzipan | almond paste
Crumble up the marzipan | almond paste and add it to the mixing bowl.
Mix the dough
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Use your hand to fully combine all the ingredients. Since, the dough will be a little bit sticky, you can also use some food-safe disposable gloves.
Shape the cookies and cover with sliced almonds
Place 75 g sliced almonds in a separate bowl or plate.
Take a little bit of the dough and roll it in the palm of your hands to form a walnut-size round cookie shape.
Cover it with sliced almonds by rolling it in the bowl or plate filled with the sliced almonds.
Depending on the size, you will get about 15 - 20 cookies.
Note: If the dough has dried up too much and the almond slices won't stick - just add a little bit of water to the palm of your hands.
Bake at 180°C
Preheat the oven and bake at 180°C for about 8-12 min, depending on the size. They should be lightly browned.
Dust with powdered sugar
Finally, when the Mandorlini are cooled down, lightly dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Storage Tip: When the cookies are completely cooled down, place them in an air-tight container or a cookie jar. This way they can last for about 14 days.
- Great Gift: Mandorlini also look great as gift from the kitchen.
