Αμυγδαλωτά … Amygdalota: Greek Almond Cookies
My favorite cookies are Amygdalota (Αμυγδαλωτά): delicate Greek almond cookies that are slightly crisp on the outside and chewy and sweet on the inside. Topped with sliced almonds they are the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee or tea and I personally can’t get enough of them.
In my humble opinion, Victory Sweet Shop in Astoria, NY makes the best. It is much too dangerous for me to frequent this locally well-known Greek bakery (the sweet aromas of which tease you the second you walk through the door) to buy a box of Amygdalota and stash it somewhere in my kitchen … because I will selfishly eat each and every cookie with no regrets. But the other day I had a real hankering for Amygdalota and decided to try my hand at these cookies for the first time. They are the only Greek cookies my family doesn’t make and so I had to experiment a little to come up with a recipe for myself.
I think I did well for my first time making Amygdalota and not going by a substantiated recipe per se. Next time I will indulge a little more and add a couple more egg whites to get the cookies to thicken up a little more yet still retain their light texture inside. Consider adding these Greek Amygdalota to your Christmas Cookie Swaps and you won’t be disappointed!
Makes 2 dozen cookies
1 can (227 grams) almond paste
1 1/2 cups (about 175 gr.) powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 cup (100 gr.) ground almonds
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Now, I found the almond paste to be too stiff and I couldn’t get it to mix well with all the other ingredients just by using a wooden spoon and stirring by hand, so I emptied the “dough” into the bowl of my food processor (which was out to chop the almonds) and pulsed it until it was well combined.
Fill a piping bag with the dough and pipe rounds of “dough” onto the baking sheets (or use a cookie scoop/spoon to do so). Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until golden around the edges; cookies will still be soft when you remove them from the oven but will harden as they cool. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack then store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks … if they last that long!
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Beautiful Maria…a nice change from the usual Greek biscuits made this time of the year…yours turned out perfectly!
I’m with you Maria, one of (if not) fave cookies of mine…when made well/quality ingredients.
The key is lots of ground almonds…like you’ve used. I could eat a whole tin!
These are picture perfect, love the almonds, very yummy cookies!
Try your hand at these? looks like you’ve been making them for ions – they look fabulous! I love amygnalota and I am so happy to read your posting and creation of them. I have never made these, but maybe I will now – since I have this fancy piper to frost cupcakes which I hate making anyway :0 Wish we had those Greek bakeries here in Portland!
Magnificent cookies! Almonds are so fine.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love amygdalota, they are my favourite as well.
Εργολάβοι! Υπέροχα μπισκότα, τα λατρεύω! Ευχαριστώ Μαράκι!
Wonderful cookies. Wish I can have some for my morning coffee now
Amygdalota are a popular festive sweet treat all year round. They are excellent round Christmas, too. And amygdalota in a jar are a wonderful gift.
ένα ταψί δεν είναι ποτέ αρκετό!!!
πειρασμός με όλην τη σημασία της λέξης, με σκοτώνεις!!!!!!!
I love these cookies Maria and haven’t made them in so so long! Love how yours turned out. They remind me of my mom’s.
Καλές γιορτές!
Amigthalota stand alone! The best! Thanks Maria for another beautiful presentation!
Ίσως το καλύτερό μου γλυκό! Υπέροχη η εκδοχή σας…
I am a HUGE fan of amygdalota, too. I’ve never had the ones from Astoria but I plan on heading to NY in 2011 so maybe then. These not only look delicious but very pretty, too!
These cookies are wonderful; in Lebanon they are made as well, except they are coated with pine nuts.
Hi Maria,
Thanks for stopping by.I must say that u have a BEAUTIFUL blog.These cookies looks like the ones we get in stores..so pro!
I love munching on pine nuts..adding them to cookies is such a wonder ful idea!
Did not know these were your favorite cookie….. We love them as well but I have never made them , I will try your recipe , they look delish !!!!!!!! I would also recommend “LEFKOS PIRGOS” in Astoria … they do a great job with them as well:)
Just found your blog and love it! I remember going to the bakery in Andros every day I was there and getting these.
Question for you – you noted in the post that next time you might add a few more egg whites. Was this reflected in the recipe, or did you later end up using more than 3?
So sorry it took me so long to respond to your question Mary but I didn’t see this comment until just now! I sincerely apologize! I thought my version to be a tad bit denser than the version I adore from our local bakery. However, I will say that everyone in my family that tasted them insisted the recipe was perfect as is. Also, a friend upon making them the first time using my recipe this spring makes them on an almost weekly basis now and loves them as is. Please let me know if you’ve tried them … I’d love to hear your input!
Just made your lovely ‘Greek Almond Cookies’ for my daughters Greek Day at school. All the children had to bring in something they had researched and made for the day. We love them so much and so did all the children. The only thing I altered was I added little more flour as the consistency was a little runny (could have been the size of our eggs) But other than that looked and tasted amazing. We will make them again.
Thank you.