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Fregolotta are crunchy Italian almond crumb cookies that are sweet and delicious! Break them into jagged pieces to enjoy with coffee or a dessert wine. Or crumble them into smaller bite-sized nuggets and serve over ice cream.
What is Fregolotta?
It’s a rustic Italian cookie that gets its name from “fregola” – the Venetian word for crumbs. Fregollota translates to “one big crumb.”
This easy sweet treat is baked up as a giant cookie, then broken into large or small pieces for nibbling, dipping into a cup of coffee or espresso, or sprinkling over some whipped cream, ice cream, or gelato.
Variations
Our recipe today is gently adapted from one that we found printed in a recent issue of Milk Street magazine and it’s also nearly identical to the recipe shared by Lidia Bostianich. It baked up firm, crunchy, and crumbly.
There are, however, many different variations of Fregolotta online – some with dried fruit or chocolate chips mixed in, others with just a sprinkle of almonds on top, and even others that resemble more of a shortbread tart with a jam filling and a crumb topping. All the variations have a crumbly texture – and look delicious!
Why you’ll love Fregolotta
- The crunchy, crumbly texture and sweet almond flavor is simply wonderful.
- The crumbled cookies can be enjoyed as is with the beverage of your choosing, but they are also wonderful sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream.
- This easy dessert stores well so you can bake up a batch and keep on hand in the freezer for an impromptu treat anytime the craving strikes.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Whole Raw Almonds
- Egg Yolks
- Whole Milk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Table Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Ice Cream/Gelato or Coffee/Espresso – To serve with cookies.
Special Tools Needed
- Sheet Tray (13×18-inch)
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Food Processor – To chop the almonds.
- Or, if chopping by hand – Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Whisk
- Small Bowl – To whisk the egg yolks with the milk.
- Large Bowl – To mix all the ingredients.
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Wooden Spoon
- Rubber Spatula
- Pastry Cutter or Two Forks
- Knife
- Cooling Rack
How do I make Fregolotta?
- Toast the almonds for ten minutes in the oven. Cool and chop.
- Cut butter into small pats and place back into the refrigerator on a plate.
- Whisk the egg yolks and milk in a small bowl.
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, and cooled chopped almonds in another bowl.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture, combining until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Drizzle in the egg mixture and mix to a sandy consistency. Do not overwork into a dough – it should be loose like wet lumpy sand.
- Line the sheet tray with a fresh sheet of parchment paper.
- Crumble the mixture onto the sheet tray. Use a fork to loosen up any clumps – but do not press down. The mixture should be loose. Use the side of a knife to pat the edges so that the mixture is even with no high or low points. The shape doesn’t matter since it gets broken up after it bakes but the mixture should be an even height throughout, so it bakes evenly and be loose. As it bakes, it spreads out a little to fill small open gaps.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. The giant cookie should be slightly hard.
- Cool in the pan over a cooling rack for ten minutes. Then lift the parchment and slide out of the pan onto the cooling rack and cool completely. It’s OK if the cookie starts to break.
- Once cool, break into jagged pieces or crumbles.
- Serve crumbled over ice cream or the larger with espresso or coffee (great for dunking).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Italian Almond Crumb Cookie (Fregolotta) ahead of time? Yes.
- How do I store leftovers? Store at room temperature in an airtight covered container for up to three days or freeze in zipper seal bags.
- Can I freeze? Yes, these cookies freeze very well.
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Fregolotta (Italian Almond Crumb Cookie)
Fregolotta are crunchy Italian almond crumb cookies that are sweet and delicious! Break them into jagged pieces to enjoy with coffee or a dessert wine. Or crumble them into smaller bite-sized nuggets and serve over ice cream.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole raw almonds
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place oven rack in top third of the oven.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and distribute almonds in a single layer.
- Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through. Leave the oven at 350 degrees F.
- Once toasted and cooled, chop them to rice-to-pea size in a food processor or by hand with a knife and cutting board. You could also pour them out onto a cutting board, cover them with a kitchen towel and hit with the bottom of a heavy pan.
- While the almonds are toasting, in a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with the milk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt.
- Mix in the chopped cooled almonds.
- Use a pastry cutter or two forks and cut the butter in until rice size.
- Drizzle in the egg mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated into a sandy mixture. Do not overwork into a dough. The mixture should be like wet lumpy beach sand.
- Place a fresh piece of parchment paper onto the sheet tray and pour the mixture out onto the prepared pan using a rubber spatula.
- Use two forks to loosen up clumps and spread to about a quarter inch thick. Use the side of a knife to neaten up the edges so that the mixture is the same height throughout. (The mixture will not reach the pan sides and the shape doesn’t matter since it gets broken into pieces after baking but what does matter is an even thickness throughout.)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top and slightly hard to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on the cooling rack and cool for ten minutes.
- Grab an edge of parchment and slide the whole cookie bar out of the pan and onto the cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
- To serve with ice cream, break into bite sized pieces and crumble over the bowl of ice cream.
- To serve with coffee, espresso, or cappuccino, break into cookie sized pieces and serve. Great for dunking in hot coffee.
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