Anna Louise Almond biscuits occupy a specific place in the biscuit repertoire — they are the refined, slightly continental option alongside the robustly British shortbread and digestive.
Crisp, slightly fragile, fragrant with ground almonds and almond extract, and finished with a flaked almond pressed into each one before baking, they are the biscuit I serve alongside coffee at the end of a dinner party and the one that disappears most quickly from the tin at Christmas.
These are not Italian amaretti — which are chewier and more intensely flavoured — but a British version of the almond biscuit that is lighter and more delicately textured.
The dough contains butter and egg alongside the ground almonds, which gives a crispness and a shortness that the all-almond amaretti does not have.
The almond extract is the essential flavouring — it gives the specifically vivid almond character that makes these biscuits immediately identifiable and specifically appealing.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Almond Biscuits (Makes approximately 28)
For the Almond Biscuits
- 200g plain flour, sifted
- 100g ground almonds
- 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp almond extract — essential, not optional
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- 2–3 tbsp cold water — only if needed
For the Topping
- 50g flaked almonds — one small cluster pressed onto each biscuit before baking
- 1 large egg, beaten — for brushing before the flaked almonds
How to Make Mary Berry Almond Biscuits
Step 1 — Make the Dough
Combine the sifted flour, ground almonds, cold butter, golden caster sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse four to six times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Add the egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Pulse two to three more times. The dough should just come together — add cold water one tablespoon at a time only if it has not.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring together gently with your hands into a smooth disc. Wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes.
Step 2 — Preheat and Roll
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.
Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately 5mm thick — slightly thicker than standard biscuit dough because the ground almonds give the biscuit its specific texture at this thickness.
Step 3 — Cut, Glaze, and Top
Cut into rounds using a 5cm round cutter — or use an oval cutter for a more elegant, slightly continental appearance. Place on the prepared trays.
Brush each biscuit lightly with beaten egg. Press a small cluster of three to four flaked almonds gently into the surface of each biscuit — the egg wash helps them adhere.
Step 4 — Bake
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are pale golden at the edges and the flaked almonds are lightly toasted. The biscuits should be pale golden — not deep golden. They will crisp further as they cool.
Leave on the trays for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.
My Top Tips For Best Almond Biscuits
Almond extract is essential — not optional. Ground almonds give texture and a mild almond flavour. Almond extract gives the specific, vivid almond fragrance and character that makes these biscuits specifically almond biscuits rather than biscuits that happen to contain almonds. One teaspoon gives the right quantity — vivid without tipping into artificial.
Roll to 5mm — slightly thicker than standard biscuit dough. The ground almonds give the dough a slightly more fragile, slightly more tender character than plain flour dough. At 3mm the biscuits are too thin and too fragile. At 5mm they give the right balance of crispness and slight shortness that makes them specifically good.
The flaked almonds pressed on top give the most beautiful finish. A small cluster of three to four flaked almonds on each biscuit — lightly pressed so they sit flat — gives a professional, attractive appearance and a slight additional texture. They toast during baking and give a slightly golden, nutty surface that is part of the visual appeal.
Remove from the oven when pale golden — not deep golden. Almond biscuits over-baked become slightly bitter from the almond extract and slightly dry from the over-toasting of the ground almonds. Pale golden from the oven gives a properly crisp, properly fragrant biscuit after five minutes of cooling.
These biscuits are the most elegant thing in the Christmas tin. A tin of Christmas biscuits that includes these almond biscuits alongside gingerbread men, chocolate chip cookies, and shortbread gives a range that looks genuinely beautiful and that covers every preference. The almond biscuits are always the first to be taken.
Serving Suggestions
Alongside coffee at the end of a dinner party. As part of an afternoon tea biscuit selection. In a Christmas tin alongside other biscuits. As a gift — twelve in a cellophane bag with a ribbon is a thoughtful, elegant present.
How to Store Mary Berry Almond Biscuits
In an airtight tin: Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They stay crisp throughout.
In the freezer: Freeze unbaked cut biscuits for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 180°C for 16 to 18 minutes.
Mary Berry Almond Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Pulse flour, ground almonds, cold butter, sugar, and salt 4–6 times to fine crumbs. Add egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla — pulse 2–3 times until just combined. Add cold water if needed. Bring together gently — flatten into disc. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line two baking trays.
- Roll chilled dough on floured surface to 5mm. Cut into 5cm rounds. Place on trays.
- Brush each biscuit lightly with beaten egg. Press 3–4 flaked almonds gently onto each.
- Bake 12–15 minutes until pale golden at edges and almonds lightly toasted. Leave on trays 5 minutes — cool completely on wire rack.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add lemon zest to the dough?
Yes — the finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon added with the egg yolk gives a lemon and almond character that is very good. Lemon and almond is one of the great flavour combinations.
Can I use icing sugar instead of caster sugar?
Yes — icing sugar gives a slightly finer, slightly more delicate texture. The biscuits are slightly paler and slightly more fragile. Both give a very good result.
Can I make these without a food processor?
Yes — rub the cold butter into the flour and ground almonds by hand until fine crumbs, then add the remaining ingredients and bring together as directed.
Can I dip them in chocolate?
Yes — melt 100g of good quality dark chocolate. Dip one half of each cooled biscuit and place on baking parchment to set. The dark chocolate and almond combination is completely wonderful.
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