Italian Cherry Almond Cookies (gluten-free!)

For Day 3 I’m bringing you the cutest, most unique cookies you’ll bake this holiday season. They’re incredibly easy to make right in one bowl, are perfectly sweet, and just so happen to be grain-free, gluten-free, AND dairy-free.

These Italian cherry almond cookies are inspired by my friend Angie, who has shared a version of her Nonna’s Italian Cookies with me years ago, and my own personal love for cherry and almond flavors (IYKYK). They’re a fun new take on thumbprint cookies because instead of a peanut butter cookie base and chocolate middle, they’re like thumbprint snowball cookies with a sweet maraschino cherry middle.

These cookies are great for baking with little ones, too! My kiddos had so much fun rolling the cookie dough in powdered sugar, and carefully adding (and eating) the cherries. Bring these to your holiday cookie exchange, or bake them up for your weekly sweet treat.

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Everything you’ll need to make these cherry almond cookies

These cute little gluten-free cherry almond cookies couldn’t be easier to make with just a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Almond flour: the base of the cookies is almond flour, and it’s the only flour in the recipe!
• Sugar: we’re using white granulated sugar to sweeten the cookies.
• Lemon zest: a little lemon zest adds a lovely brightness to pair with the almond flavor.
• Egg whites: to give the cookies the perfect, light texture, we’re adding egg whites only (not full eggs!)
• Almond extract: a little almond extract is the key to the cherry almond flavor.
• Powdered sugar: give the cookies a pretty, festive look by rolling the dough balls in powdered sugar.
• Cherries: for the final cherry touch, you’ll indent each dough ball and place a maraschino or luxardo cherry into each one!

My favorite cherries to use

While regular maraschino cherries work for this recipe, I personally LOVE these cookies with Luxardo cherries, which are made cherries preserved in a rich syrup and actually perfect for cocktails, too. The flavor of these cherries is like any other and a jar of them also makes the perfect stocking stuffer or holiday gift for cocktail lovers, too!

Can I use a different flour?

Unfortunately no,  I cannot recommend a different flour for these gluten and grain-free almond cherry cookies. The almond flour gives them the perfect texture and flavor!

Is there a vegan option?

While these cookies are completely dairy-free, I haven’t tested this recipe using a vegan substitute for the egg whites. I think flax eggs may change the texture of the cookies too much, but let me know in the comments if you try using them!

An easy cherry alternative

If you can’t find luxardo or maraschino cherries, you can sub each cherry for a ½ teaspoon of cherry jam and fill the hole, then bake as directed. They will still have wonderful cherry flavor!

How to make gluten-free cherry almond cookies

As I mentioned earlier, these cookies couldn’t be easier to make. You’ll just need one bowl (no electric mixer or stand mixer), and there’s no need to chill the dough!

1. Mix the dough. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and lemon zest, then mix in the egg whites and almond extract. The dough might start a bit crumbly, so mix until it’s sticky.
2. Roll the dough balls. Roll the cookie dough into about 18 balls, then roll the dough balls into a shallow bowl or plate of powdered sugar and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Prep the cherries. Drain the cherries from the maraschino cherry juice in the jar and pat them dry with a paper towel.
4. Top & bake. Gently make an indent into each dough ball with your thumb, place a cherry into the indentation, and then bake them up.
5. Cool & enjoy! Pull the cookie out once the dough is turning slightly golden on the bottom edges, cool them on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

Storing & freezing tips

• To store: simply store these cherry almond cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temp.
• To freeze: you can either freeze the dough or freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months! Check out all of my tips & tricks for freezing cookies here. I’d recommend re-rolling the cookies in powdered sugar after thawing the baked cookies so that they’re nice and pretty.

More cookie recipes you’ll love

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I hope you love these Italian cherry almond cookies! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!