Many of us have completed the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I haven’t finished telling about all my activities connected to the Nativity Feast. My fellow Orthodox Christians who are on the traditional Julian calendar have just begun to count the days, however, so if we keep them in mind it won’t seem strange to muse a while longer on Christmas cookies. Plus, they are only Christmas cookies because I bake them at Christmas; you could enjoy them at any season of the year.
These are my favorite because of their chewy texture, the flavors of citrus and almond, and because my friends and family who are gluten-intolerant can fully enjoy them.
Last year I made two batches of this invention, but I wasn’t completely settled on the amounts of a couple of the ingredients. This time I made only one batch (so far), but after my latest tweaks I’m confident that if you try them, you are likely to be happy with the result. There are no grain flours in the recipe, so they are gluten-free.
MANDARIN ALMOND COOKIES
7 oz. almond paste, in pieces
4 oz. cold butter, salted or not
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine the above ingredients in a food processor until evenly mixed. Add and process:
4 large egg whites, one at a time.
Remove from processor to a bowl and add:
2 3/4 cups finely ground almond flour
6 oz. package of dried mandarin oranges (found at Trader Joe’s), finely chopped
Put the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
Put 1/2 cup granulated sugar in one bowl, and
1/2 cup powdered sugar in another bowl.
Drop heaping tablespoonsful of dough into the sugar; gently coat and shape into 1 1/2″ balls. Repeat in powdered sugar.
Set 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden or golden brown, at 325 degrees, 22-25 minutes. Remove to racks to cool. Cookies will be crumbly until thoroughly cool. They keep well in the refrigerator or freezer.
The amount of sugar here is a reduction from my original experiment, and I might try cutting back a little more next time, hoping that the chewiness of the cookie won’t be affected too much. The recipe that inspired me was an Italian Orange Fig Cookie that my son had made in 2022. I tried that last year with disappointing results, and created this one instead because I had the mandarin oranges on hand. I hope Trader Joe’s continues to carry that item!
Gladsome Lights 
These sound mouth-waterngly good!
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Yes, almond paste will make a nice, chewy cookie. My brother can’t eat almonds, however, so I stay away from that.
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I’ll have to bookmark these for my gluten free and celiac friends and check to see if our TJ’s have the mandarins. Thank you for sharing.
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These sound so good with citrus flavour that is so refreshing. Another recipe to mark for the future. And that future might not be too far away!
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My but those cookies look good. It still looks very much like Christmas around here. I have just begun putting away a few things each day. The tree will be the last to be undecorated ( and stored upright and complete with lights in the garage.)
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Oooh, I will have to try this recipe. I have some leftover almond paste that I don’t know what to do with. Looks delicious!
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The flavor combo in these sounds simply wonderful. I can only imagine the fragrance as they bake! No wonder everyone loves them!
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Oh my! Those both look and sound delicious. With two gluten intolerant DILs I might need to give these a try. Thank you for sharing.
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I must remember this recipe, it seems interesting. What I especially liked was it being gluten-free and cut back sugar amounts. I am trying to cut way back on sugar intake for awhile, but sometimes especially on Sundays I like a bit of sweetness. This cookie would be good for that.
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Those sound delicious, especially the citrus flavor! They look rather like the little cookies I usually make at Christmas, but mine don’t have almond or citrus. Instead, they have lots of minced pecans. But still lots of butter and powdered sugar. They are so good too! 🙂
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Your pecan cookies sound really appealing!
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