This Spanish Almond Cookie recipe is almost too good to be true. With just almonds, sugar, eggs, and lemon zest you can create these melt-in-your-mouth almond cookies in under 30 minutes. They're naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and have an irresistible chewy texture and toasted almond flavor.
Whether you're looking for a healthier cookie, a great gluten-free dessert, a flourless and non-dairy cookie for Passover, or you're simply craving a quick and delicious treat, these Spanish Almond Cookies are destined to become a new favorite.
What I love about these almond cookies
These cookies are a revelation! Made primarily from almonds, almendrados are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and surprisingly simple to whip up. They're a treat you can feel good about—packed with protein, relatively low in carbs, and free of unhealthy fats. But the best part? They're absolutely delicious!
They bake up crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, with fresh toasted almond flavor and a hint of lemon zest - yum!
Let me show you how to make them.
Ingredients
Let's make these Almond Cookies!
Here's a walk-through of the recipe with photos.
Add the blanched almonds to the bowl of a food processor and process for 15-20 seconds, until you have a coarse flour. Then add the rest of the ingredients - sugar, lemon zest, egg and salt and pulse several times, until the dough forms.
Once the dough becomes sticky and holds together, transfer it to a bowl and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To form the cookies, pull out about a tablespoon of dough at a time, roll it into a ball and place it on the cookie sheet, keeping some space between the dough balls. Gently press a roasted almond into each dough ball.
Bake the cookies for 14 minutes or until lightly colored on the undersides but still slightly soft. They will harden as they cool and you actually want them to be a little soft and chewy.
Allow the cookies to cool completely and then enjoy them!
I've had lots of commenters curious about how to use almond flour in this recipe so here's the scoop.
Frequently Asked Questions About Almond Flour Cookies
Almond flour is made from pure almonds that are blanched (boiled in water) to remove their skins and then ground into a fine flour. Almond flour is a popular substitute for wheat flour in baking. It's gluten-free, low in carbs, packed with fiber, protein and nutrients, and has a mild sweet flavor.
While almond meal and almond flour are both made from ground almonds, they differ in texture. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds with skins removed, ground into a fine, light texture. Almond meal uses whole almonds, skins included, ground to a coarser textured flour with visible brown flecks.
You can technically substitute almond meal for almond flour in a 1:1 ratio, however the texture of your baked goods will differ depending on which you use. Almond flour, made from blanched almonds (skins removed), gives baked goods a smooth, delicate texture. Almond meal, made from whole almonds (skins included), imparts a coarser, more rustic texture, similar to whole-grain flour.
If you want to take these cookies to even higher heights of delicious, make homemade toasted almonds and use them to top your Almendrados!
These delightful Spanish almond cookies have a beautiful chewy texture and are bursting with toasted almond flavor. Because they're gluten-free and dairy-free, they're a treat everyone can enjoy. If you make these I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe
Spanish Almond Cookies (Almendrados)
- Total Time: 26 mins
- Yield: About 24 cookies 1x
Description
These melt-in-your-mouth Spanish Almond cookies are almost too good to be true. They have just 4 ingredients, they're ready in under 30 minutes, they're naturally gluten free and dairy free, and their toasted almond flavor with a hint of lemon is irresistible!
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched slivered almonds (note 1)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- Zest from 1 lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 24 roasted salted almonds to top cookies (note 2)
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Process for 15-20 seconds or until they are finely ground. Add the sugar, egg, lemon and salt to the bowl of the food processor and pulse 20-25 times, until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together.
- To form the cookies, pull out about a tablespoon of dough at a time. Squeeze it in your hand and then roll it into a ball and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. You should get about 24 balls. Gently press a whole roasted almond down into the center of each ball.
- Bake for 14 minutes or until cookies have a hint of color on the underside. Don't worry if they're soft to the touch. They will harden as they cool and you actually want them to be a little chewy. Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you want to make these cookies with almond flour, substitute 2½ cups of almond flour for the 2 cups blanched slivered almonds.
- For extra special flavor and crunch, make these homemade roasted almonds and use them to decorate your almond cookies.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator; however our nutrition information should be used only as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 16 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Spanish
This recipe post was first published on March 24, 2014. I have reviewed this recipe and retested it using almond flour in place of blanched almonds. I updated this recipe to include how to make these cookies with almond flour. I've enhanced the post with process shots to illustrate the steps of this recipe, and I added an FAQ section to address questions about how to use almond flour in baking. Same delicious recipe!
Dee
DELICIOUS! These cookies are eaten fast & we never have leftovers.
Thank you for the recipe!
Tzippi Moss
Every time I make these cookies, everyone, and I mean everyone!!! loves them. I can't tell you how often people ask me for the recipe. A total winner.
Mimi
Can we use almond flour, which is a fine powder,instead of chopping the almond’s?
Lisa Goldfinger
Yes, definitely!
Tzippi Moss
Great recipe. Easy and it's always a hit when we bring it to others as a treat.
Lynnie
Keeping it as a favourite. The outside is crunchy like a dry amaretti and the inside is like the moist ones. Love!
Daria
How can I substitute honey for sugar in this recipe?
Lisa
Hi Daria, I am not an expert on this but I found an article that will help https://www.thekitchn.com/4-rules-for-successfully-swapping-honey-for-sugar-in-any-baked-goods-230156
Best of luck with the cookies!
Kathryn
I started with 2-1/4 cups almond flour which made it even quicker without having to use the food processor. I rolled the balls in sliced almonds (because that's what I had) before flattening and dusted a wee bit of powdered sugar on top as they cooled. They were delicious and really pretty too, these pups are gonna be my new go to for giving as gifts to my gluten free friends and will forever get a star role on my Passover table with a thumbprint of jam in place of the almond decor (liberation from stodgy potato starch cakes)!
Lisa
I'm so glad you like the cookies! Thanks for sharing your process - I love your modifications!
J. McMillan
Can the almond flour be substituted with hazelnut flour?
Lisa
I think these will bake well with hazelnut flour, but I'm not sure how they will taste. Almond flour has a strong, nutty flavor with more savory flavors than hazelnut flour, which is sweeter and mellower. If you try this recipe with hazelnut flour, I'd love to know how the cookies turn out.
Susan Coleman
I made them last year with hazelnut as I am allergic to almonds. I loved them! Making them again this year
Zoe
Delicious! For any British people, I used 200g ground almonds, 150g caster sugar, and a medium egg, and mixed it with an electric whisk.
Ivy
Hi Liza,
If I use the whole almond, how many cup I should use for your recipe?
Joni Alexander
Does the dough freeze well? I am going to try to make with monk fruit sweetener.
Lisa
Hi Joni, I've never tried to freeze the dough. I'm guessing you'd be better off baking the cookies and freezing them rather than freezing the uncooked dough. If you end up trying it, I'd love to know how they turn out.
Thérèse
Love the recipe. How much 2 cups of sliver almond give in ground almond? Also may I trade in xylitol for the sugar?
Thanks
Lisa
I haven't tried this recipe using xylitol but I assume it would work well being that xylitol and sugar have about the same degree of sweetness. If you try it, I'd love to know what you think.
As for the almonds, 2 cups of almond flour should work well. Enjoy!
Jan
Use 2 1/2 cups of almond flour for the 2 cups of slivered almonds.
Monika
These look delicious and so simple! If I already have almond flour, how much would I use? In other words, how much ground almond does the 2 cups of slivered almonds generate? Thanks!
Maverick Johnson
This was a really delicious recipe and was great for my school project.
foodtoheart
not sure who stole this recipes from whom, but in south Italy they've been making this almond cookies since the dawn of times xD
It doesn't matter I am sure cos either way the important thing is to make the world know this fantastic recipe!:)
I love these cookie and I bake tons of them each time, almond is my favourite!:) I find that adding a tiny bit of almond essence boosts up the flavour.
Super delicious cookies and great post:)
Mim Bull
FANTASTIC RECIPE!!! I made 2 batches this weekend for a Spanish themed village event, and after my husband eating most of those I made another 3 batches! I tried a little bit of one and it was INCREDIBLE!! My body doesn't handle sugar well so was wondering if anyone had tried making using sweetener (and successfully made them not have the awful sweetener taste!) Any suggestions welcomed before I start experimenting!