Citrus Almond Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Made with almond flour, lemon, and oranges, these naturally gluten-free almond cookies are great for the holidays.
I’m obsessed with these cookies. In the last two weeks, I’ve made them four times to rave reviews from friends (and my kids!)
They are adapted from a recipe my mom sent me, with more orange and lemon flavor for those who love citrus as much as I do.
I plan on making these for cookie boxes in the next few weeks– along with my lemon crinkle cookies and vegan peppermint cookies.
See below for more details, or scroll down to the full recipe below.
Ingredient Notes
The key ingredient for these citrus almond cookies is almond flour, which you can grab at most grocery stores in the baking aisle. I grabbed a bag at ALDI’s last time I was there!
I use both orange and lemon zest for these cookies because I like the intense citrus flavor, but you can just use orange or lemon if you’d like. Using just lemon will make these almond lemon cookies, and orange will be almond orange cookies. Both are great– I tested both ways.
I also like a little lemon or orange juice added to the batter from the citrus that you just zested- you can choose either. The almond extract really enhances the almond flavor but you can sub vanilla extract in a pinch.
The egg whites provide the body for these almond cookies. I tried making these vegan by using whipped aqua faba (like in my vegan peppermint brownies!) but it didn’t work the same.
How to Make These Almond Cookies
Zest the Citrus
Place the lemon zest and orange zest in the bowl with the sugar.
Mix the Zest and Sugar Together
Using your hands, rub the sugar and zests together until the sugar turns lightly orange. Add in the almond flour.
Beat the Egg Whites
Using an electric mixture, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form.
Make the batter.
Add the almond extract, orange juice and the almond flour mixture to make a batter. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Bake
Scoop out the batter into 1 tablespoon scoops, then roll into a ball and roll in sugar. Place on a baking sheet and either keep as a ball, or gently press down. Bake for 20 minutes.
Tips for Success
I love these these citrus almond cookies don’t require any butter (or vegan butter) and are naturally gluten-free. For uniform cookies, I use this cookie scoop for perfect 1 tablespoon size cookies.
These are better underbaked than overbaked, so I recommend taking them out as soon as they are golden brown on top. Once they are cooked, I recommend letting them cool slightly, then transferring to a cooling rack (affiliate) to finish cooling.
If you try these citrus almond cookies, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers.
Citrus Almond Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 173 g cane sugar, plus more for rolling
- Zest of 2 oranges
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups 210 g almond flour
- 3 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice, from the zested orange or lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a medium bowl and add the orange and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the sugar with the zest until it is light orange in color. Mix in the almond flour.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer (affiliate) until they form medium peaks. Add in the orange or lemon juice and the almond extract. Stir in the almond flour and sugar mixture until a dough just forms.
- Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place sugar on a plate or a shallow bowl (about 1/2 cup) Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon balls and then roll in the sugar and place on a baking sheet.
- The cookies won’t spread when baking, so you can either bake them as balls, or gently press down with a fork and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely, then enjoy!