Almond Paste Cookies with Icing (Paste Reali) are originally from the Puglia region of Italy and made either for Easter or Christmas. These festive cookies flavored with lemon zest and covered with icing couldn’t be any easier to make with only 4 ingredients and are gluten free!
Have you ever tasted almond cookies covered with icing? Neither had I before I met my husband. Without a doubt there are infinite variations of cookie recipes across Italy made with ground almonds, the most popular of which are classic amaretti cookies.
These almond paste cookies differ from amaretti cookies as that they do not contain amaretto or almond extracts. Instead this simple cookie is flavored with lemon both in the cookie itself and in the icing. The result is a delicate, soft lemon scented cookie that is hard to resist!
Origin of Almond Paste Cookies with Icing (Paste Reali)
Although a similar version of these cookies are made in Sicily, this iced version has it’s origins in Puglia, Italy. My husband fondly recalls the icing referred to as scilepp in the Barese dialect. These cookies were prepared by my mother in law and her mother and always on the table during the holidays.
Also known as dolcetti di pasta di mandorla, they are traditionally prepared for the Easter or Christmas holidays. And of course, the color of the icing can be varied whether for Easter or Christmas.
My husband did admit that my version of these cookies does not look exactly like his nonna’s. Hers were a little smaller and more round shaped. However he agrees that the flavor is right on!
Can I use almond flour to make almond paste cookies?
These cookies are made with blanched, ground almonds. They are coarsely ground and therefore have a grainier texture. This would not be the case if they are made with almond flour which has a finer texture.
That said, this does not mean that the recipe would not work with almond flour. It just means that your cookies will not have the same consistency.
I do strongly recommend that you take that bit of extra time to blanch and grind your own almonds for this recipe. It is very easy to do and I have outlined the whole process step by step below.
How to blanch and grind almonds:
1. Blanch 3 cups of whole unroasted almonds in boiling water for 1 minute.
2. Drain well and place on a dish towel to absorb excess water and let cool.
3. Pinch each almond between your thumb and index finger to easily slip off the peel.
4. Let cool and dry.
5. Process the blanched almonds in the food processor for just a few seconds to obtain a course texture. Avoid processing the almonds for too long or they will turn into almond butter!
Now you are ready to proceed with the assembly of this cookie recipe. The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. The complete detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this post.
Step by Step Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once you have ground your almonds, pour sugar over them and pulse a few times until the sugar is incorporated. This step can also be done in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Add eggs and lemon zest and pulse a few times until mixed in. This step is traditionally prepared by hand. If you use a food processor as I chose to do, avoid processing the mixture for too long as you want to maintain a grainier texture.
Transfer the almond mixture to a bowl (unless you have already mixed it in a bowl). Shape into roughly 1 tbsp. sized balls by hand. Or you can conveniently use a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop as I did to scoop the dough directly onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly browned underneath. The cookies will appear to be under baked but will become more firm as they cool. Avoid handling them immediately out of the oven so they don’t lose their shape.
Prepare the icing while the cookies cool. In a bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until completely smooth. For a thicker icing, reduce the amount of lemon juice. I prefer a thinner icing and therefore added 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp lemon juice.
To coat the cookies with different colored icing, divide the mixture into 3 bowls. Add a drop or two of food coloring to each bowl and stir to obtain desired color. I used green, yellow and red (for the pink icing).
Dip each cooled cookie in the icing allowing the excess to drip off and place on parchment paper to set. Once the icing has hardened the cookies may be served or stored in airtight containers.
Tips and suggestions:
- If you prefer these cookies without the icing, simply roll in powdered sugar and top with a whole almond or maraschino cherry before baking just as in my amaretti cookie recipe.
- If serving during the Christmas holidays change the color of the icing to red and green.
- The lemon juice in the icing may be replaced with milk if you prefer.
- These cookies keep well stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- They can also be frozen in a container separating layers of cookies with parchment paper for up to 3 months. They defrost very quickly (within an hour) at room temperature.
If you try out this easy recipe please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Here are more Italian cookie recipes you may enjoy!
- Chewy Amaretti Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Hazelnut Cookies
- Italian Orange Juice Cookies
- Classic Almond Biscotti with Variations
- Italian Lemon Glazed Cookies
- Biscotti Regina
- Pistachio Amaretti
- Sheet Pan Almond Biscotti
- Tetù (Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies)
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 3 cups whole almonds unroasted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 lemon, zested
For the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- few drops of food coloring of your choice
Instructions
Prepare the almonds:
- Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and place on a dish towel to absorb excess water and cool.
- Pinch each almond between your thumb and index finger to easily slip off the peel. Let cool and completely dry.
- Process the blanched almonds in the food processor for a few seconds to obtain a course texture. Avoid processing the almonds for too long or they will turn into almond butter!
Assemble the cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Once you have ground your almonds, pour sugar over the almonds and pulse a few times until the sugar is incorporated. This step can also be done in a bowl with a spoon.
- Add eggs and lemon zest and pulse a few times until mixed in. This step is traditionally prepared by hand. If you use a food processor as I chose to do, avoid processing the mixture for too long as you want to maintain a grainier texture to the almonds.
- Transfer the almond mixture to a bowl (unless you have already mixed it in a bowl). Shape into roughly 1 tbsp. sized balls either by hand. I conveniently used a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop to scoop the dough directly onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly browned underneath. The cookies will appear to be under baked but will become more firm as they cool. Avoid handling them immediately out of the oven as they will lose their shape.
Ice the cookies
- While the cookies cool, prepare the icing. In a bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until completely smooth. For a thicker icing, reduce the amount of lemon juice. I prefer a thinner icing and therefore added 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp lemon juice.
- To cover cookies with different colored icing, divide the mixture into 3 bowls. Add a drop or two of food coloring to each bowl and stir to obtain desired color. I used green, yellow and red (for the pink icing).
- Dip each cooled cookie in the icing and place on parchment paper to set. Once the icing has hardened the cookies may be served or stored in airtight containers.
Notes
- If you prefer to make these cookies without the icing, they can be rolled in powdered sugar and topped with a whole almond or maraschino cherry before baking just as in my amaretti cookie recipe.
- If serving during the Christmas holidays change the color of the icing to red and green.
- The lemon juice in the icing may be replaced with milk if you prefer.
- These cookies keep well stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- They can also be frozen in a container separating layers of cookies with parchment paper for up to 3 months. They defrost very quickly (within an hour) at room temperature.
Nutrition
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One more question Nadia – one can buy Almond Paste in a small tube which I have used in the past to make Marzipan … do you think that might be a substitute for the almonds in this recipe? (I do want to try these cookies for Easter even though with this ongoing pandemic chances are slim that my family will unite as usual … what about yours? Hope everyone you hold dear has been kept safe and will continue to do so).
Hello Anna, I have not baked with marzipan however based on what I have read the ratio of sugar to almonds in marzipan is different. Therefore I’m not sure it would work well for this recipe. I made a full batch of this recipe and proceeded to freeze some thinking I’d have them available for Easter but my children are enjoying them and I keep taking out a few at a time from the freezer. So I guess I’ll have to make more! But it’s no problem as they are a breeze to make. We are all well thank you and hope that you and yours are all ok too!
So am I to assume that what I buy off the shelf in a package at the supermarket, along with other nuts and ingredients for baking purposes are unroasted? The almonds are either whole with or without skins, slivered, once in a while chopped. Unroasted all??
Hi Anna, here in my neck of the woods I can purchase nuts that are roasted (and sometimes salted as well) and this is specified on the package if they are. Otherwise they are just plain, whole raw almonds. If you buy them without the skins then you will be able to skip the step of boiling and peeling them and proceed straight to grinding them. Hope this helps!
Just like my Nonna used to make!
Hi FM, yes they are. Hope you enjoy them!
Forgive my ignorance, what is meant by ‘unroasted almonds’? I have recently seen recipes for using unfrosted almonds ….. help me to understand please.
Hello Anna, no problem, I meant raw almonds that have not been roasted in the oven.