124Amygdalota, almond sweets

Method

Cycladic baked blossom-water almond pears. Yields approximately 24 petite celebration sweets; ideal with Greek coffee or cold water.

You will need

• Food processor
• Baking sheet
• Baking parchment
• Small pastry brush
• Wide mixing bowl

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 160°C (320°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 5 min · 160°C / 320°F Ready when: oven is properly heated
2. Pulse the blanched almonds with the caster sugar in a food processor in short bursts until finely ground, avoiding over-processing into nut butter. 3 min Ready when: almonds are sandy and fine without becoming oily
3. Tip the almond meal into a bowl and gradually work in 3 tablespoons of the orange blossom water with your hands until a pliable, firm marzipan-like dough forms. 4 min Ready when: dough holds together cleanly in a ball without sticking
4. Pinch off walnut-sized portions of dough (about 25 g each) and shape them into little teardrops or pear shapes, flattening the bottoms so they stand upright. 10 min Ready when: shapes are uniform little pears
5. Insert a whole clove into the narrow tip of each pear to resemble a stem, and place them spaced slightly apart on the baking sheet. 3 min Ready when: pears stand upright on the tray
6. Bake in the conventional oven just until the sweets feel firm to the touch outside but remain completely pale, without browning on top. 12 min · 160°C / 320°F Ready when: bases are barely pale biscuit, tops are pristine white
7. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then lightly brush or spritz them with the remaining orange blossom water while still warm. 5 min Ready when: sweets are lightly dampened and fragrant
8. Toss the warm sweets immediately in a deep bowl of sifted icing sugar until cloaked in a thick, velvety white coating, then cool completely on a wire rack. 5 min Ready when: sweets are completely enveloped in snowy white sugar

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Make ahead and storing

Can be baked and stored up to two weeks ahead in an airtight tin.

Store in an airtight container layered with baking paper at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Substitutions

• rose water for orange blossom water. Commonly preferred in the Saronic islands and Dodecanese instead of citrus blossom water.

Common mistakes

• Over-baking until the almond paste browns.. Amygdalota become dry, hard, and lose their pale celebration appearance and delicate, chewy heart.
• Grinding the almonds continuously on high speed.. The friction releases natural nut oils, creating an oily paste that spreads flat during baking.

Regional variants

• Spetsiotika amygdalota from Spetses, shaped into flat round patties and baked very briefly.
• Andros amygdalota, unbaked almond confections rolled in icing sugar scented with local wild rose blossom water.

About the dish

Amygdalota are cherished almond confections ubiquitous across the Aegean islands, especially the Cyclades (such as Mykonos, Tinos, and Andros) and the Saronic Gulf (Hydra and Spetses). Crafted primarily from blanched ground almonds, sugar, and fragrant flower waters—either bitter orange blossom or rose water—they are the traditional sweet of hospitality at Greek weddings, baptisms, and name days, where their pure white appearance signifies joy and new beginnings. Depending on the island, they may be baked very lightly to keep them pale and chewy, poached in syrup, or left entirely unbaked like fine marzipan.

Found in Cyclades, Dodecanese, North Aegean. Cooked for wedding, name day.

Cousins elsewhere

• Ricciarelli (Italian). Soft Sienese almond sweets made with ground nuts, sugar, and egg whites or syrup, sharing a Mediterranean origin.
• Marzipan (Levantine). Almond paste confections shaped and perfumed with orange blossom or rose waters across the eastern Mediterranean.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

366 kcal · protein 5.2 g · fat 0.5 g (saturated 0.1 g) · carbohydrate 85.7 g (sugars 47.7 g) · fibre 1.4 g · sodium 2 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Cycladic island wedding tradition of lightly baked pear-shaped sweets scented with citrus blossom water..