Ricciarelli – The Most Underrated Italian Biscuit of All Time
I’m returning with yet another Italian almond biscuit recipe, but this time with one which tends to be overshadowed by the much more popular amaretti and cantuccini – ricciarelli.
Ricciarelli are delightfully soft, bursting with flavours of almond and orange, and have a lovely texture, thanks to their distinctive cracked icing sugar coating.
Dating all the way back to the 14th century in Siena, Tuscany, ricciarelli have truly stood the test of time, still enjoyed today, usually at Christmas with an Italian liquor, like Vin Santo. I’m of the humble opinion, however, that they’re too delicious not to be enjoyed all year round.
VISUAL STEPS
INGREDIENTS:
Ricciarelli deserve much more hype in the biscuit world, and I hope after giving these a go yourself, you’ll agree with me!
Ricciarelli
Equipment
- 1 baking tray 30 x 20cm
- Electric whisk
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 300 g icing sugar 200g for the dough, 100g to coat
- 200 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon Disaronno or almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one large orange
Instructions
- In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric whisk until frothy. Gradually add 25g of the icing sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form [see photos]
- Gently fold in 175g of the icing sugar and all of the ground almonds until almost combined. Place the remaining 100g of icing sugar in a small bowl and set aside for later.
- Add the Disaronno [or almond extract], vanilla extract, and orange zest and combine again, bringing the dough together by hand or by spoon.
- Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- After the dough has rested, remove from the fridge and preheat the oven to 180℃ gas/160℃ fan. Prepare a 30 x 20cm baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- Roll a tablespoon of the dough into a ball, flattening it slightly to look like a leaf [see photos]. Once shaped, coat in some of the icing sugar until completely covered.
- Repeat this process with the rest of the mixture – you should end up with around 15 but don’t stress if you have one more or less.
- Place the shaped biscuits onto the prepared tray and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the icing sugar has cracked on top and they are still moist in the centre[see photos]
- Leave to cool completely and enjoy with coffee or some Italian liquor – I highly recommend Vin Santo!
Notes
- Ricciarelli can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or bag but they’re usually polished off much earlier in my household!
If you’d like to make some more Italian biscuits, then look no further…
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