If you follow me, you know that I love almond cake and almond cookies and almond paste and almond extract. In fact, 17% of the recipes on my site are almond-based. It seems only fitting to add another one to the mix, right?

These are simple, chewy, almond cookies covered in powdered sugar. And, if you were curious, it’s possible to eat the entire batch by yourself in 13 hours (which includes a night of sleep…so really 3 hours…). I know this from personal experience.

Chewy Almond Cookies
adapted from Pinch Me I’m Eating

2 egg whites
2 ¼ cups almond flour
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
⅛ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp orange zest (or 1 tsp Fiori di Sicilia)
1 tbsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
Extra powdered sugar for coating cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, sift almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder together.

Gradually fold in the almond flour mixture to the egg whites in 2-3 batches. The dough will become quite sticky as opposed to a fluffy meringue. Add orange zest (or Fiori di Sicilia), vanilla, and almond extract and fold until combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use either a scoop or your hands to roll the dough into balls about 1.5” in diameter. Roll the balls in powdered sugar until well coated. Shape the dough into an oval, flatten slightly, and arrange on the baking sheet about 2” apart.

Let the cookies dry out a bit at room temperature for approximately and hour (they will develop a shell). Pre-crack the shells by squeezing the cookies from opposite corners. This helps create the beautiful cracks in the final cookie.

While the cookies are drying, preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake cookies for 18-20 minutes.