Go Back
Powdered sugar dusted almond crescent cookies piled on a wooden board with one cookie broken open showing a soft center

Soft Greek Almond Cookies (Amygdalota) with Cloves

Ground almond cookies, sweetened with sugar and bound with egg whites, baked low and slow until soft inside and pale on top.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 272
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 300 g blanched almond flour fine ground
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg whites large
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tbsp orange blossom water optional, or use rosewater
  • 1 pinch salt
Topping
  • 20 pieces whole cloves optional, for decoration only, not eaten
  • 50 g powdered sugar for dusting

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Heat the oven to 150 C / 300 F and line a sheet pan (33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch) with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. You're not looking for stiff peaks, just loosened whites.
  3. Add the almond flour, sugar, almond extract, and orange blossom water to the egg whites. Mix with a spatula until you get a soft, slightly sticky dough that holds together when pressed.
  4. If the dough feels too soft to shape, chill it for 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge until firmer.
Shape and Bake
  1. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon (25 to 27 g) of dough and roll it between your palms into a small crescent or teardrop shape. Place on the sheet pan, spacing the cookies 3 cm / 1 inch apart.
  2. Press a whole clove into the pointed tip of each cookie, if using, for the traditional look.
  3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden and the tops stay pale. Rotate the pan halfway through for even color.
  4. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Remind anyone eating them to pull out the cloves first.
  5. Once fully cool, sift powdered sugar generously over the cookies, coating them on all sides.

Notes

  • Use room temperature egg whites, they blend into the almond flour more easily.
  • Don't skip chilling if the dough feels sticky, it makes shaping much easier.
  • Cloves are for looks only, pull them out before eating.
  • Bake until the bottoms are golden but tops stay pale, that's normal for this cookie.