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Soft Almond Biscuits

By OcadoLife
These Soft Almond Biscuits by Rome-based food writer Rachel Roddy are inspired by Sicily’s pasticcini di mandorle – tender little marzipan bites that are pale gold and crisp on the outside and fudgy on the inside.…
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Time and servings

Total time
Prep time
Cooking time

Ingredients

5 total
  • 200 g of blanched almonds (or use ground almonds)
  • 150 g of icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 large egg white
  • 8 glacé cherries, halved, or 16 blanched almonds, or a mix of both

Method

5 steps

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3. Line a baking tray with 2 layers of baking paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a food processor, blitz the almonds to a fine flour (or use ground almonds). Tip into a bowl, then add the icing sugar and lemon zest.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk the egg white with a fork until frothy, add to the almond mixture and bring everything together into a dough (using your hands is best for this). The mixture should be soft and just a little sticky; if it seems too dry, simply add a drop or two of water.

  4. Step 4

    Dust your hands with icing sugar and form balls by rolling walnut-sized lumps of dough between your palms.

  5. Step 5

    Put the balls on the lined baking tray, spacing them 2cm apart. Make an indent in each and fill with half a glacé cherry or an almond. Bake them on the middle shelf of the oven for 10-12 mins or until pale gold; remove from the oven. The biscuits will still be soft, so leave to cool completely on the tray before lifting onto a plate and dusting with a little more icing sugar. The biscuits will keep well in an airtight container for 3-5 days.