Ricciarelli

These traditional Italian chewy almond cookies are gluten-free and make a beautiful festive gift.

Hands-on time 20min, plus cooling and (optional) chilling. Cooking time about

25min. Makes about 18  200g blanched almonds, see GH TIP  150g icing sugar, plus extra to dust  Finely grated zest 1 lemon

 1tsp almond extract

 2 medium egg whites

1 Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat until golden. Empty into a food processor and leave to cool completely.

2 Whizz the toasted almonds, icing sugar, lemon zest, almond extract and a pinch of salt until it’s as fine as you can get it. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Add the almond mixture to the egg whites and mix until combined. If you have time, cover and chill for 1hr (up to 24hr).

3 Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Scoop out a tbsp of the mixture and with damp hands shape into a rugby ball shape. Place on the lined sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture, spacing slightly apart.

4 Bake for 15-18min, or until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the sheets for 10min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust liberally with icing sugar before serving. PER BISCUIT 105cals, 3g protein, 6g fat (1g saturates), 9g carbs (9g total sugars), 0g fibre

GH TIP Blanched almonds give a better flavour here, but you can use 200g ground almonds instead, if you prefer.

TO STORE Once cool, keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.