RICCIARELLI
MAKES 20 BISCUITS / ACTIVE TIME 20 MINUTES / INACTIVE TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES
A perfect end-of-dinner biscuit that sits as happily alongside a glass of amaro as it does a cup of tea or coffee. These biscuits are best made a day ahead, so are perfect for entertaining. This is also an excellent recipe to keep in mind for when you have an excess of egg whites.
A sophisticated biscuit to indulge your childhood nostalgia, this version of ricciarelli is all chew and tenderness, propped up with notes of almond and undertones of citrus zest. These biscuits hail from Siena, where they were traditionally reserved for Christmas time, but they are related to the better-known macaroon. The almond-oval shape is thought to have been inspired by the shape of the Sultan’s slippers – a biscuit literally designed to tell a story, in this case, of the Crusades in the Holy Land. Do not feel you need to have such tales of grandeur or conquests to indulge. 250g blanched almonds (or almond meal, see note) 220g caster sugar zest of ½ lemon zest of ½ orange
65g egg white (from about 3–4 eggs)
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon almond extract icing sugar, for coating
NOTE: Swap the whole almonds for almond meal if you don’t have a food processor. I like to grind blanched almonds myself because I think they have more flavour, but your biscuits will be delicious either way.
Blitz the almonds, sugar and citrus zests together in a food processor until it turns to citrus-scented almond meal (if using almond meal, simply mix these ingredients together in a mixing bowl). Transfer to a mixing bowl and add in the egg white, bicarbonate of soda, salt and almond extract. Stir to combine until a thick dough forms.
Shape the dough into 20 small balls, then toss them through the icing sugar to coat well. Place the biscuits on a bakingpaper-lined baking tray and leave them on your bench for about an hour to dry.
Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-forced.
After drying, press the biscuits to flatten them slightly and shape into an oval. This should create some cracking on the surface, which is ideal. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the biscuits under the icing sugar appear golden brown. Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.