Almendrados (Spanish Almond Cookies)

By Lisa & Tony Sierra

Updated 03/13/19

Almendrados
Isidre Torres / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Total: 25 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Yield: 24 to 30 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
133 Calories
9g Fat
12g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24 to 30 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 133
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Protein 4g
Calcium 44mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The Spanish have used almonds in desserts and sauces or centuries. Everything from St. James cake, and bienmesabe (Spanish almond cream), to polvorones and panellets cookies.

Almendrados are Spanish almond cookies, which are very simple to make and make a light, sweet dessert, or snack. Many Spanish prepare them at Christmas, too. Egg whites are beaten to a stiff peak, then sugar, egg yolks, and ground almonds are mixed together and baked.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb almonds (ground)
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • zest of 1 lemon

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat oven to 360F/180C degrees.

  2. Grate the lemon peel, avoiding the white part of the peel because it is bitter.

  3. Separate the yolks from the egg whites.  In a small glass or ceramic mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff peak.

  4. Place the egg whites into a medium mixing bowl, and gently stir in the egg yolks. (No need to mix thoroughly).

  5. Add the granulated sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds, and optionally the cinnamon, mixing thoroughly.

  6. Using your hands, shape the cookies into mounds or pyramids and place on a greased cookie sheet, or one covered in ​parchment paper.

  7. Bake in ​an oven on center rack for approximately 15 minutes until cookies turn a golden color.

  8. Remove from oven and gently loosen the cookies using a spatula. Do this quickly because if they cool on the sheet, they will harden and become too brittle to remove. Cool them on a rack.

  9. Serve and enjoy or store in a tightly covered container or tin.