In fact, in Sicily these cookies are called paste di mandorla or pasticcini di mandorla. The difference between Sicilian Almond Cookies and Amaretti is that the former don’t use bitter almonds or apricot kernels and the base dough can be flavored with lemon or orange zest, pistacchio paste, coffee and even chopped chocolate.
Paste di Mandorla are delicious Italian lemon almond biscuits made from ground almonds. With crispy edges and soft and chewy centres, they are very moreish! Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan / 180˚C / 320˚F convection / 356˚F.
These Italian Cookies are very easy to make and they disappear quickly! In a huge bowl mix almond flour and sugar. In a separate bowl beat egg whites with a whisk just until foamy. Start adding beaten egg whites, leaving about 1 egg white for later. Mix with a spatula. Add honey and almond flavor extract.
Paste di mandorle, or almond cookies, are one of the simplest and most delicious cookie recipes you could ask for, requiring only 4 ingredients and an overnight refrigeration (and even that is optional), so you can make the dough one day and bake the next. And because they only use almond flour, they are gluten-free friendly!