Have you ever heard of ratafia biscuits? They're a crispy-chewy almond cookie from Scotland and are commonly used in trifles or served as an after-dinner snack with coffee. Another great feature of these cookies are that they're gluten free and only take 4 ingredients!
If you love biscuits, make sure to try our recipes for Scottish oatcakes and vegan gingersnaps.
Questions
What are ratafia biscuits?
They are crispy and chewy almond cookies from Scotland.
What do they look like?
They are small round cookies with little air holes in their surface.
What are they made of?
These biscuits are made from 4 simple ingredients: egg whites, almond flour, caster sugar, and almond extract.
Are these biscuits gluten free?
Yes, they are gluten free. If you're really sensitive to gluten, make sure you use products that are certified gluten free.
Are ratafias easy to make?
Yes! There's no fancy measuring, chilling, or rolling involved, so teenagers can easily make these by themselves.
What do you use them for?
Biscuits are used in trifles or as a snack at afternoon tea.
What can I substitute for them?
Amaretti biscuits are the most similar and would make the best substitute.
Amaretti Biscuits vs. Ratafia Biscuits
- They are very similar and contain almost identical ingredients.
- Amaretti are from Italy, while ratafias are from Scotland.
- Amaretti are thicker than ratafias.
- Amaretti usually contain amaretti liqueur.
How to Store Them
- Keep them on a plate tightly covered with plastic wrap or a metal biscuit tin.
- Store them at room temperature; there's no need to refrigerate.
- Since these don't contain wheat flour, you don't need to put a piece of bread in the biscuit tin to keep the cookies soft.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients: egg whites, almond flour, caster sugar, and almond extract.
Whisk the egg whites by hand or an electric mixer until they form soft peaks.
Sift the almond flour and caster sugar on top, then gently fold it in with a flexible spatula. Stir in the almond extract. The batter should look like a thick paste.
Dump the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1 centimeter round tip. Pipe onto a large, parchment-lined baking tray, leaving an inch or two between each biscuit. They will spread as they bake, and you don't want the sides to touch.
Bake at 325 F (162 C) for 15-20 minutes, until golden around the edges. Let cool on the baking tray, then peel off the paper.
Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.
If you're a fan of almond flavored desserts, this is one recipe you'll need to try. It's hard to stop eating these!
Serve
Ratafia biscuits are most commonly used in trifles, but taste lovely on their own with a cup of tea or coffee. I love eating these chewy meringue biscuits all by themselves!
If you are looking for other Scottish recipes, make sure to try our recipes for traditional cranachan, vegetarian haggis, Scotch broth, Scottish steak pie, and mince and tatties.
Pro Tips
- Want to warm up the egg whites quickly? Soak the whole eggs in hot tap water for 10 minutes, then separate the yolks and whites.
- Can't find caster sugar? Make your own by grinding granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until fine.
- Can't find almond flour? Substitute it with equal volume of another nut flour, such as hazelnut.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Run a flexible spatula around the rim of the bowl, then cut through the center of the mixture. Repeat until evenly mixed.
- Let them cool completely before removing from the parchment. Otherwise, they'll stick to the paper.
Recommended Tools
- Almond Flour: this is the key ingredient to these cookies.
- Hand Mixer: this workhorse will whip those egg whites in a jiffy!
- Piping Bags: this set of reusable bags and tips will be a baking staple.
- Parchment Paper: make cleanup easy with this.
- Cookie Sheet: this Wilton brand nonstick tray bakes evenly.
Other Teatime Desserts
The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated.
Recipe
4 Ingredient Gluten Free Ratafia Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and line an 11x17-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until they're quite foamy, but not forming peaks.
- Dump in the sugar and almond flour and beat until well mixed; then stir in the almond extract. The mixture should look like a thick paste.
- Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ⅓ inch (1 centimeter) round nozzle. Pipe blobs of the mixture onto the prepared tray about 2 inches apart, making each biscuit about ¾ inch in diameter.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15-18 minutes, until the biscuits are a pale golden brown around the edges.
- Let the biscuits cool completely on the parchment paper. Use in a trifle or serve as an after-dinner snack with coffee. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
- Want to warm up the egg whites quickly? Soak the whole eggs in hot tap water for 10 minutes, then separate the yolks and whites.
- Can't find almond flour? Substitute it with equal volume of another nut flour, such as hazelnut.
- Make your own caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) by grinding granulated sugar in a blender until fine.
- Want them sweeter? Add an additional 2 tablespoons (25g) of caster sugar.
- Let the biscuits cool completely before removing from the parchment. Otherwise, they'll stick to the paper.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This recipe was originally published on April 17, 2018.
Anita Hoskins
I love cookies with almond extract and these are no exception! Absolutely delicious!
Emma
Yes, we love almond cookies too!
Beth
These chewy cookies are so nice for dipping into tea, or even eating them plain. They are so golden and have a strong almond flavor. I love to eat these cookies! They have a crunchy outside and chewy inside, and they taste nice dipped in espresso.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! Ratafia biscuits are so fun to eat.
Alex
Ratafia biscuits are quite good and chewy. They have a good almond taste! These cookies are a chewy delicacy, and I love the hint of almond. These taste so good, I rave about 'em!
Emma
Thank you, Alex! I love ratafia biscuits, too. 🙂