These delicious and super simple cookies are the perfect holiday treat. Chewy, delicately spiced, sweet and with a touch of citrus – not to mention vegan and gluten-free! Topped with a cinnamon-sugar glaze, they are truly out of this world good. Made with only 5 ingredients, the Almond Cinnamon Cookies can be ready to accompany your cup of tea in less than 30 minutes. 

This time of year, I’m baking up a cookie storm. From new recipes to old favourites, I can’t get enough of warm, sweet goodness that holiday cookies bring! Last week, it was buttery, melt in your mouth lemon crescent cookies, followed by a no-bake version of the classic gingersnap.

Today, I’m excited to share a stupendously easy and scrumptious recipe for Almond Cinnamon Cookies. As willing as I am to put in some elbow grease for a baking project, sometimes you just need a quick dessert. Something you can throw together and enjoy almost instantly. 

That’s just what these are! A simple bake that you can whip up at a moment’s notice. Beautifully flavoured with warm cinnamon spice, nutty almond and sharp citrus, this cookie is a winner. Add to that a soft, chewy interior and slightly browned crisp outside – what’s not to love? 

Inspiration for this recipe is from the talented. Aline, whose take on German Zimtsterne was done beautifully! Once I saw her version, I knew I had to try for myself. Check out her page for some great vegan+vegetarian recipes.

How to Make the Almond Cinnamon Cookies

The process is simple – sift together the dry ingredients, blend in the wet ingredients with an electric mixer, form and roll out the dough, cut and bake. No chill time, no extra work. Just mix, bake and eat! 

Let’s talk ingredients: 

Almond Meal 

Almond meal is simply ground up almonds. Typically the distinction between almond meal and almond flour is that the former uses unpeeled almonds while the latter uses blanched and peeled ones. However, feel free to use either in this recipe – I’ve tried it both ways and it was equally tasty each time! I recommend running it through a sieve as you add it to your mixing bowl, to avoid clumps.  

Cinnamon 

The star (and sole) spice of this recipe is cinnamon. We use a generous amount in the dough – 1 tablespoon. Though you can add more for a stronger flavour, I personally did not since the glaze I topped the cookies also had cinnamon. 

Powdered Sugar 

You can use either powdered sugar or icing sugar as the sweetener here. I used it sparingly, not wanting the cookies to be too sugary. While it is a holiday bake, I wanted the flavour of almond, cinnamon and lemon to shine and avoid an overpowering sweetness. Again, you can adjust this ingredient as per preference! I recommend sifting this into the main mixing bowl to avoid sugar clumps. 

Salt

Just a pinch of salt here goes a long way! With such strong main flavours in play, you want to make sure they are sharp and well balanced. I used regular salt here, but sea salt would be good too. 

Lemon Juice

Though I only use a little, the addition of fresh lemon juice takes these cookies to the next level! The tanginess balances with the sweetness perfectly. 

Water

Our final ingredient is as simple as it gets – 2 tablespoons of water. This helps bring the dough – which primarily consists of dry ingredients, together. 

Forming & Cutting the Dough 

After mixing the dry ingredients, add in the lemon juice and water. Blend it all together using an electric/hand mixer. At this point, the mixture will be crumbly so you need to bring it all together by hand. Shape the dough together and place it on a well floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately 2 cms or thinner if you want a more crisp cookie. 

Cut out the cookies with any shape cookie cutter you have – keep in mind that this recipe bakes medium sized cookies so if your cutter is smaller or larger, your bake time may vary. 

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, till the cookies slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

Serving the Almond Cinnamon Cookies

After they have baked, you can enjoy them as is or add a simple topping like a glaze or icing sugar. I opted for a quick cinnamon sugar glaze, that pairs perfectly with the sweetness and flavouring of the cookie. Made by just mixing icing sugar, water and cinnamon powder, this glaze is ready in 5 minutes. Couldn’t be easier! 

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. 

How to Make Almond Meal?

Though it’s available in markets, you can easily make this ingredient at home like I do. 

Slice raw almonds – to soak and peel is up to you. Place them in a food processor and blend for about a minute, till you get a fine grain. Sift the almond meal through a sieve and then put the large remaining chunks in the processor again, till you have a uniform finely blended meal. Afterwards, store it in an airtight container – best in a cool, dark place. 

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Glaze? 

Combine 1/4th cup of icing sugar, 2 teaspoons of water and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Mix well, it should be smooth, shiny and lump free. Add a small dollop of it in the centre of your cookie and spread evenly. 

What to Use Instead of Lemon? 

If you don’t happen to have lemons on hand, a teaspoon of any other citrus extract would work well too. 

I hope you give these a go – whether it’s for gifting, your own munching or Christmas table, these Almond Cinnamon Cookies are a delight! A great way to enjoy some festive baking without any fuss. 

Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Here are some of my favorites: 

• Lemon Crescent Cookies 
• Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
• Ginger Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
• No-Bake Gingersnap Balls 
• Mocha Shortbread Cookies
• Almond Linzer Cookies