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Dorie Greenspan's 3-Ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies

February 1, 2017
82 Reviews

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes: When you call Dorie Greenspan to say you’re coming over, this is what she bakes. “It takes longer to preheat the oven than to put these cookies together,” she wrote to me. “I love them for a million reasons, but chiefly because they're a simple pleasure that can be shared on the spur of the moment.” She includes a perfectly round variation in her book using muffin tins (and plenty of baker's spray to help them break free), but we preferred the ease and charm of the freeform version. Adapted slightly from Dorie's Cookies (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). —Genius Recipes

Makes: 20 cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sliced almonds (blanched or unblanched)
In This Recipe

Directions

  1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon at hand.
  2. Whisk the sugar and egg together in a bowl for a minute or so, until well blended and just a bit thick. Add the almonds and whisk until evenly coated with the mixture. You need to use the batter right away — it separates as it stands. In fact, it’s good to give the batter a stir or two as you’re spooning it out.
  3. Each cookie needs 2 teaspoons of batter. Scoop the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space between the mounds of batter, and flatten each mound with the back of a fork.
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pans midway through baking. The cookies should be toasted-almond beige, and dry and crackled on top. Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully lift the free-form cookies with a wide spatula.
  5. Note: If your kitchen is cool and dry, you can keep these in a tin or paper bag overnight. Keep them longer, and they might soften, a condition easily reversed: Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and warm them in a 350° F oven for about 6 minutes; cool on the sheet.

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Reviews (82) Questions (3)

82 Reviews

Marsha L. January 2, 2019
These are fabulous and so easy, and they look pretty on a cookie plate, on their own or with others, showing off their irregular organic shapes. I didn't let mine get quite as dark as those shown in the photograph, but they were still crunchy. Great recipe for gluten free and grain free people. I served mine last night with another easy and quick recipe found on Food52 website: Lime Posset with Graham Cracker Streusel.
 
Elessar December 22, 2018
This is a fantastic recipe! I made these 3 times this week for various holiday parties and they are always a smash hit- the first thing to go! I have used slivered almonds and even very finely chopped almonds and it is always a success. I would recommend doubling the recipe and, for a party, making smaller cookies of just 1 teaspoon. I also add a pinch of salt (about 2 grams if doubling the recipe) to make these even better.
 
Barbara December 12, 2018
Does the recipe call for the entire egg, or do you just use the egg white? Thanks—I’m hoping to make this tonight as it sounds easy and I have the ingredients on hand.
 
Freddurf December 12, 2018
It calls for the whole egg, but I mistakenly used only the egg white and loved the results.
 
malw December 12, 2018
Use the whole egg.
 
Ms. M. October 18, 2018
I am planning to make these cookies, for the first time, to bring to someone's house for brunch. I already have slivered almonds on hand. Will they work as well as sliced almonds?
 
Gwen October 18, 2018
Hard to say because the cookies are very thin after baking, and slivered almonds are not as thin as the sliced. You could do a trial if you don't care about using ingredients up.
 
ELCookie October 18, 2018
I would not use slivered almonds. The cookies are thin and bake quickly; basically almonds surrounded by egg white. Look at the picture above and you can see how they are integrated. I do not think the slivered almonds work the same way.
 
Christina January 21, 2019
I have used slivered almonds and it worked pretty well I thought...
 
Allison C. August 6, 2018
These are great! So easy to make, crispy and yummy! Just make sure you have silicone baking sheets or they will be hard to pick up with a spatula.
 
Genevieve June 27, 2018
Super easy and tasty! I should have thought about adding sea salt and lemon zest. Made them with only 2/3 of the sugar (4 tbs) and it was sweet enough for me, but maybe you’ll get more batter with the full 6 tbs. It was ready in 15 minutes in my oven (mine runs hot). I also spread the batter on the sheet because I was afraid they wouldn’t come out flat. Would love to try the cornflake idea - did you leave the cornflakes whole, or crushed?

Alternative preparation: Has anyone tried adding the egg/sugar batter to the pan in circles first, and then adding almonds on top? I’m wondering if that will result in a more uniform look!

A must-try for anyone who likes easy crispy treats!
 
ELCookie March 17, 2018
Made these as written and then made a version with chocolate covered almonds (I hand sliced). Both delicious. Definitely making them for Passover. Thinking of making a version half dipped in chocolate. Wondering if anyone has frozen them?
 
malw March 7, 2018
It won’t be the same but you can try. I’d try the original recipe first.
 
pegtech March 7, 2018
this recipe sounds wonderful! can I use sesame seeds instead of almonds??
 
Dot W. March 7, 2018
Made these over the weekend and they were delicious. My husband is a big fan of these and says they are a good "dipping" biscuit (as in dipping into his cup of milk coffee)!
 
Donna L. February 12, 2018
I did not like them. They were not crispy. They were soggy after they cooled down from the oven. I's probably try them again with the new hints and advice but for me, these 3 ingredient cookies weren't worth it. Just no substance. Not even as good as, say nut brittle.
 
Joyce G. December 20, 2017
How much sea salt?
 
Debbie December 28, 2017
I’ve seen posts that say 1/4 tsp. I just did a couple twists of the sea salt grinder and it was fabulous.
 
Sarah September 10, 2017
My oven only has one rack - anything I should do different? Or can I just bake them on the middle rack, one tray at a time?
 
shozgirl July 13, 2017
I have now made variations at least 50 times. Always a huge hit. Anything can go in, have taken to premixing and storing almonds or other nut/sunflower seeds/raisens/granola or oats/any dried fruit/ chocolate chips....endless possibilities. I do add pinch of sea salt Have found 375 superior to 350 for crispness and avoiding soggy 2nd day cookies. Must cool before removing from Silpat.
 
Lynn D. July 13, 2017
I was scheduled to bring cookies to a friend for tea in two hours. I had the sugar and egg mixed. I opened the never before opened bag of almonds and it was full of meal moths! I chunked up walnuts in the food processor. It worked out fine, but I think I would like it even better with almonds.
 
Jocelyn G. May 13, 2017
So good!
 
Gwen May 9, 2017
I've made these twice since they appeared recently on Food52's Facebook. The first time I used parchment paper, and some of them spread more than others, but they tasted good. The second time I made them I used greased muffin pans to make them more uniform in appearance, and they stuck to the pans. I won't be using the muffin pans for this recipe again.
 
PatKM September 4, 2018
how about lining muffin pans with baking cups
 
Gwen October 18, 2018
Did not think of that at the time. I would probably use the silicone baking cups instead of the paper ones to prevent sticking.
 
Judy S. April 30, 2017
I make these with egg whites only. 1 egg white and 1/3 cup sugar whisked by hand, 1 cup of toasted sliced almonds and the grated rind of a lemon. 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Divine!
 
Gal February 19, 2018
Judy, I chose to make your version of these cookies. I followed your instructions and the cookies came out absolutely divine! Thank you, Judy for sharing your version on these cookies!
 
Nancy L. April 24, 2017
I just served these with coffee at a tapas luncheon I prepared for 12. Easy, wonderful, and they look as if you made them yourself (in a good way). Of all the dishes I prepared, this is the one that got the most recipe requests. I used turbinado sugar because it's what I had on hand; next time, I'll try them with a touch of salt. A great recipe as is . . . with lots of creative possibilities.
 
X April 11, 2017
I made these with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie spice, a dash of cayenne, and brown sugar. The came out fantastic! Then I made them again with the almonds using coconut sugar--also very, good, thoug I preferred the pumpkin seed ones. I will try them with walnuts and maple sugar next. Great idea for versatile quicky cookies. Thanks for sharing the recipe!