Gluten-Free Ossi dei Morti (Bones of the Dead Cookies)

Ossi dei Morti are the crunchy Italian ‘bones of the dead’ cookies baked for All Souls’ Day — pale, knobby, and built for dunking in sweet wine or coffee. This almond-based version skips the wheat entirely and keeps the signature snap that gives them their name.

Yield: About 28 cookies · Time: 45 min + overnight rest

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (250 g) almond flour
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (35 g) white rice flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Whisk the almond flour, powdered sugar, rice flour, spices, and zest.
2. Stir in the egg whites and vanilla into a firm paste.
3. Roll into thumb-sized ‘bones,’ place on a lined sheet, and rest uncovered overnight to dry.
4. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 20–25 minutes until pale gold and hard.
5. Cool completely; they keep for weeks in a tin.

Pro tip: The overnight drying rest is traditional and necessary — it’s what creates the bone-hard shell over a slightly chewy center.

Gluten-Free Notes

Naturally gluten-free ingredients can still pick up gluten in processing, so choose labeled gluten-free versions of anything packaged here. Our label-reading checker walks through the details if you’re new to this.

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Browse more in Cookies & Bars, or explore our gluten-free breakfast recipe database and hot cereal guide.