We are fast approaching the end of this Cookie Advent Calendar: I had a lot of fun doing this and, as I had a lot of positive feedbacks about this, I am already thinking about a different one for the next year.

I am thinking about festive appetizers, let’s see if this project will see the light!

For the day 21 I have chosen another ancient recipe: ricciarelli senesi, very typical cookies from the city of Siena made of marzipan.

They are easy to make but you must respect the resting time to have a great result!

This is the perfect cookie if you love almonds a lot, if you cannot find the bitter almond extract you can omit it or use plain almond extract.

Print Recipe

Ricciarelli, marzipan cookies from Siena.

Servings: 20

Ingredients

200 g almond meal
200 g icing sugar
60 g egg whites room temperature
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp bitter almond extract
1/2 pod vanilla (seeds only)
icing sugar to form cookies and to decorate

Instructions

Beat quickly egg whites with lemon juice, almond extract and vanilla seeds.
They have to be just foamy and bubbly, not whipped.
Add almond meal and icing sugar, mix with a spoon and wrap this dough in cling film.
Let it rest in fridge for a minimum of 24 hours, two days is even better (but no more than three days).
After this time roll the dough over a surface sprinkled with icing sugar, form a long sausage and cut pieces from it.
Drop each piece into icing sugar then give it the classic diamond shape and put it on a baking tray.
Before baking pass slightly wet finger over the surface of each cookie and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Bake at 170°C/ 360°F until cracks appear, then low to 150°C/ 300°F for 5-6 minutes more.
Let them cool completely before touching, they will last up to two weeks in a tin box.