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Donal Skehan
Italian Ugly But Beautiful Cookies | DonalSkehan.com
  • desserts-baking

Italian Ugly But Beautiful Cookies

February 12

Italian “Ugly But Beautiful” Cookies – I picked these up on my travels in Italy many years ago and never forgot the name or the taste. They’re usually almond-based, chewy in the centre, crisp at the edges, and the kind of thing that disappears quickly because they aren’t too sweet. The joy of these is that they improve as they cool and sit. They travel perfectly, they don’t crumble in a tin, and they’re deeply satisfying with a cup of coffee. The only real technique is not overmixing, you want texture and unevenness so the cookies develop those craggy peaks when they bake.

  • serves Serves 14
  • time 35 minutes

Method

  1. 1. Place the ground almonds, icing sugar, orange zest, and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.
  2. 2. Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, beat the egg whites, honey and vanilla in a separate bowl until soft peaks form then fold into the dry mixture with a metal spoon.
  3. 3. Finally, add the amaretto and mix until a sticky dough forms then cover and place into the fridge for 1–2 hours until firm.
  4. 4. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160°C/ 140°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 fan and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  5. 5. Scoop one tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, then flatten lightly into a small disc. Repeat until all of the dough is used up.
  6. 6. Sieve icing sugar over half of the cookies then place onto the baking tray. For the other half, whisk the extra egg white in a small bowl until foamy and place the flaked almonds in a separate bowl. Drop the remaining balls into the egg whites, turn to coat then add to the bowl of flaked almonds, gently pressing the almonds into the dough to coat on one side. Place the almond covered cookies on the baking tray as well.
  7. 7. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes before baking for 18–20 minutes, until the edges are firm but the centres are still soft. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.
  8. 8.

Ingredients

2 cups ground almonds / almond flour

1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra to coat

Zest of 1 orange

¼ tsp salt

2 egg whites, room temperature

2 tsp honey

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 Tbsp amaretto

For the Coating:

1 egg white

1½ cups sliced/flaked almonds

200g ground almonds

110g icing sugar, plus extra to coat

Zest of 1 orange

¼ tsp salt

2 egg whites, at room temperature 

2 tsp honey

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tbsp amaretto

For the coating

1 egg white

150g flaked almonds