Riccarelli.. little almond bites

These little biscuits are incrediably moreish and so easy to make. As they have no gluten they are perfect for a gluten free diet and lovely as a gift, wrapped up in pretty paper or layered high in a pretty box or tin.This should give you approximately 25 biscuits depending how large you make them.


 120g / 3 large egg whites
 50g icing sugar plus extra for dusting
 250g caster sugar
 300g ground almonds
 grated zest of an orange
almond extract/optional - just a couple of drops as it can be quite overpowering.

Grease 2 trays - this is important as with no added fat they will stick to the trays like glue. Beat the egg whites with the icing sugar until increased in volume. Fold in the remaining ingrediants one at a time until everything is fully incorporated. Cover a board liberally with icing sugar and begin to shape the mixture, taking teaspoon size amounts and shaping them into a lozenge shape making a slight indentation in the centre or at the sides. Space well apart on the trays - they will spread - then sift over a generous layer of icing sugar, thick enough so they look completely white.
 Bake at 160 for 15-20 mins until the surface looks cracked. They should be pale in colour not browned.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool briefly on the trays, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

You will find one, two, three of these are simply not enough !

. TIPS.. Try these amounts initially and if the mixture seems a little too wet then add a little less egg white. Dusting your hands in icing sugar helps with the stickiness when shaping.