Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli) - gluten free!

Step 1

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F (170°C fan). Line 2 trays with baking/parchment paper.

Step 2

Combine Dry Ingredients: Place the almond meal, sugar, zest, almond extract and salt in a bowl. Whisk together until zest and almond extract is evenly distributed. Add the cherries and set aside

Step 3

Beat eggs whites: Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the egg whites and honey to soft peaks (Note 5). About 2 minutes on Speed 8 of a handheld beater, or 1 1/2 minutes on Speed 6 of a stand mixer.

Step 4

Fold the beaten egg whites gently into the almond mixture. You will seemingly knock most of the air out of the meringue, that's ok! (You actually haven't :) ).

Step 5

Place Extra egg white in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until foamy. Place flaked almonds in another bowl.

Step 6

Form 2.5cm/1" balls: Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a rough ball (2.5cm/1" ball). I do this using 2 eating spoons - we don't need perfect balls here.

Step 7

Coat in egg whites: Drop the ball into foamy egg whites. Use 2 forks to turn to coat, then pick up and place in the flaked almonds.

Step 8

Almond coating: Coat cookies with the almonds, pressing them on to cover as completely as you can. Don't worry if you get some double layers or pieces sticking out - no need to be neat or thorough here!

Step 9

Bake 13 minutes: Place on prepared tray 2.5cm / 1" apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Start checking at 12 minutes to be sure the nuts aren’t burning

Step 10

Cool: Transfer to rack to cool completely before serving.

Step 11

Store: Store in an airtight container. They last up to 10 days in a storage container or can be frozen