Ready for another lemon recipe?! This one also stars another favored flavor of ours – almond – in a simple, yet delicious cookie that is both dairy- and gluten-free. I also love that they can be whipped up quickly with ingredients I keep on hand.

Time for a bit of food chemistry. A while back I posted a recipe that called for room temperature eggs, as this one does. A friend questioned why the eggs needed to be room temperature and I provided an answered to her. (Room temperature eggs incorporate into mixtures better.) I’m bringing this up here for a very specific reason. In this recipe, egg whites are used to make a meringue that is flavored with lemon zest & juice then mixed with almond flour. Egg yolks and whites are easier to separate from each other when the eggs are cold, but room temperature egg whites whip better than cold ones. When making these cookies, it is best to take the eggs out of the fridge and separate the whites from the yolks first, then set the whites aside for at least 15 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature before whipping them. (Save the yolks in the fridge for another recipe, like lemon mousse or chocolate pudding. The yolks can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.)

Another question that comes to mind while putting together these cookies is why add cream of tartar to the eggs before they are whipped? And the answer is that the cream of tartar allows the eggs to whip faster and with more volume that then allows for easier incorporation of the lemon zest and juice into the whipped eggs with minimal loss of volume to them. But that’s enough chemistry, it’s time to make some incredible cookies!

Lemon Amaretti Cookies

Lemon Amaretti Cookies (adapted from thisitaliankitchen.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 25 minutes, Makes: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• zest of one large lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Line a cookie sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour and sugar. Set it aside.

Combine the almond flour and sugar.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar together until the eggs hold stiff peaks.

Combine the cream of tartar with the egg whites.

Whisk in the lemon zest and juice, until just combined.

Add the lemon zest and juice to the whipped egg whites.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and use a spoon to stir them together until all the ingredients are combined and a moist, crumbly dough forms.

Stir the flour-sugar mixture into the egg whites.

Roll the dough into 24 (1-1/2) inch balls.

Roll the dough into balls.

Place the powdered sugar on a shallow plate or in a bowl. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar, just to coat them.

Roll the balls in the powdered sugar.

Place the cookies on the baking sheet, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between each cookie.

Transfer the balls to the prepared baking sheet.

Slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.

Flatten the balls on the baking sheet.

Ready for the oven!

Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are lightly golden and the tops of the cookies start to crack. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies will crack and the bottoms will be slightly brown when they are done.

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. They can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.

Lemon & almond together is heavenly!

Lemon Love runs rampart in our family! ~Linda

Lemon Amaretti Cookies (adapted from thisitaliankitchen.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 25 minutes, Makes: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• zest of one large lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Line a cookie sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour and sugar. Set it aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar together until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice until just combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and use a spoon to stir them together until all the ingredients are combined and a moist, crumbly dough forms.

Roll the dough into 24 (1-1/2) inch balls. Place the powdered sugar on a shallow plate or in a bowl. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar, just to coat them. Place the cookies on the baking sheet, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between each cookie. Slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.

Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are lightly golden and the tops of the cookies start to crack. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. They can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.