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Ossi dei morti hard almond cookies are bone-shaped cookies from Northern Italy, baked for All Souls’ Day on November 2. The dough is ground almonds, flour, sugar, and egg whites, with no butter or oil, so the cookies bake dry and snap cleanly.
The dough is stiff, closer to marzipan than cookie dough. You roll it into short logs, notch the ends, and bake low and slow at 150 C / 300 F for 35 minutes.
These aren’t soft cookies and aren’t meant to be. They’re built for dunking in vin santo or espresso, and they keep for weeks in a tin, which suits a holiday you bake for ahead of time.
Pull them too early and the centers stay chewy. Wait for a dry, matte surface and a lightly golden base.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Six pantry ingredients and no butter to soften
- Hard texture that holds up to a full dunk
- Keeps 3 weeks in a tin, so you can bake ahead
- Dough shapes by hand, no cutters or piping bag
Ingredient Notes
- Blanched almond flour: Use fine, blanched almond flour for a pale cookie with a clean crumb. If you grind whole blanched almonds at home, pulse them with 1 tbsp of the sugar so they don’t turn oily.
- Egg whites: Three large whites weigh about 100 g, but sizes vary, so weigh them. Carton egg whites work if you measure out 100 g.
- All-purpose flour: Plain flour or Italian 00 both work. For a gluten-free version, use the same weight of a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend.
- Almond extract: A small amount gives the amaretti-style note many Italian versions have. Skip it if you prefer a plain almond flavor, the lemon zest still carries the dough.
Ossi dei Morti: Hard Almond Cookies for All Souls’ Day
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 150 C / 300 F (140 C / 275 F for a fan oven) and line two 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch sheet pans with parchment. In a 26 cm / 10-inch mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and salt for about 1 minute until foamy and the sugar looks wet.
- Stir in the almond flour, 150 g flour, lemon zest, and almond extract with a wooden spoon, then knead in the bowl for 1 minute until a stiff dough forms. If it's crumbly, knead in water 1 tsp at a time. Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 25 g pieces, about 26 in all. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into an 8 cm log about 1.5 cm thick. Press a shallow notch into each end with the back of a knife and round the ends slightly so they look like bone knobs.
- Place 13 cookies on each pan, 4 cm apart, since they barely spread. Bake for 35 minutes, swapping and rotating the pans at 18 minutes, until the cookies are pale gold with a dry, matte surface and a lightly golden base.
- Cool the cookies on the pans for 20 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. They firm up and turn hard as they cool.
Notes
- Weigh the egg whites at 100 g so the dough stays stiff enough to hold its shape.
- The dough should feel like soft marzipan. Add water by the teaspoon only if it's crumbly.
- For a fan oven, lower the temperature to 140 C / 275 F and check at 30 minutes.
- Store only fully cooled cookies, with parchment between layers, to keep them snappy.
Tips for Success
- Weigh the egg whites at 100 g, because a wetter dough spreads in the oven instead of holding its bone shape.
- Rest the dough for 30 minutes before shaping so the flour hydrates and the logs don’t crack as you roll them.
- Roll every log to an even 1.5 cm thickness so all the cookies dry out at the same pace.
- Swap and rotate the pans at 18 minutes, since the lower rack browns faster in most home ovens.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 20 minutes before moving them, because they’re fragile until the sugar sets.
Variations
- Swap 50 g of the almond flour for finely ground hazelnuts, toasted and cooled first, for a darker, nuttier cookie.
- Use the same weight of a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend, and add water by the teaspoon if the dough turns crumbly.
- Replace the lemon zest with orange zest and add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon for a warmer, spiced version.
Storage and Reheating
Like hard almond roccocò rings, ossi dei morti keep for 3 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature, with parchment between layers. Store them only once they’re completely cool, since warm cookies trap steam and soften.
If humid weather softens them, re-crisp them on a sheet pan at 120 C / 250 F for 8 to 10 minutes, then cool them fully on a rack before they go back in the tin.
Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze them in a single layer first, then bag them, and thaw uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can also wrap the raw dough and refrigerate it for up to 2 days, then let it sit 20 minutes at room temperature before shaping.
Serving Suggestions
Ossi dei morti are meant for dunking. Serve 2 or 3 per person with a small glass of vin santo, a shot of espresso, or a glass of moscato d’Asti.
On November 2, pile them on a plate in the middle of the table with dried figs and walnuts. They also pack well, so a tin lined with parchment makes an easy gift.
FAQ
Why are my ossi dei morti chewy in the middle instead of hard?
They came out of the oven too early. The cookies should be pale gold with a dry, matte surface and a lightly golden base, and 35 minutes at 150 C / 300 F usually gets there. If your logs were thicker than 1.5 cm, add 5 minutes and check again.
Can I use hazelnuts instead of almonds for ossi dei morti?
Yes, swap hazelnut flour for the almond flour at the same weight. Toast it in a dry pan for 4 to 5 minutes first and let it cool fully, or the flavor stays flat. The cookies taste darker and nuttier, and the dough may need 1 or 2 extra teaspoons of water.
How long do hard almond cookies like ossi dei morti stay crisp, and can I freeze them?
They stay crisp for about 3 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature. Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then bag them, for up to 3 months. Thaw them uncovered for 30 minutes so condensation doesn’t soften the surface.
What goes well with ossi dei morti?
Vin santo is the classic match, since the cookies are hard enough to dunk without breaking. Espresso, moscato d’Asti, or a cup of black tea work too. The sweetness is moderate, so unsweetened drinks balance them better than hot chocolate. Serve 2 or 3 per person alongside the drink.
Are ossi dei morti gluten free?
Not as written, because the dough uses 150 g of all-purpose flour. Swap in the same weight of a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend and the cookies still bake hard. The dough turns a little more crumbly, so add water a teaspoon at a time while kneading, and check that your almond flour is labeled gluten free.
What is the difference between ossi dei morti and fave dei morti?
Ossi dei morti are bone-shaped almond cookies, while fave dei morti are small bean-shaped almond cookies made for the same November 2 tradition. Both are dry and meant for dunking. Bones are rolled into logs and notched, beans are pinched into small ovals, and recipes vary by region and household.