Amaretti cookies are a type of traditional Italian almond cookies. They are soft inside and a little crisp outside, moderately sweet with a pleasant hint of bitterness which sets them apart from any other almond cookies out there. In fact, amaretti in Italian means “slightly bitter”.
Amaretti cookies are made with only 3 main ingredients: ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. Plus, a truly characteristic ingredient, the so-called (in Italian) armelline. That is, the internal part of apricot and peach kernels, which give amaretti its irresistible bitter almond note.
In modern recipes, traditional bitter apricot kernels are replaced with bitter almond extract which is easier to find and guarantees the same signature bitter sweet flavor without compromising the texture.
Italian amaretti are flour-less hence naturally gluten free, just like croccante - toasty and crunchy almond brittle.
Table Of Contents
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Blanched almonds - buy raw already blanched (without skin) almonds. They're super convenient and easy to use. Of course, you can blanche whole almonds yourself if you have extra time and like tedious work. In this case make sure to air dry them overnight before grinding. Do not use almond flour since recipe using it needs different proportions of other ingredients.
- Whole almonds - almonds with skin on for decoration.
- Sugar - granulated sugar both for the dough and for coating the cookies.
- Bitter almond extract VIAL - if you want perfect Amaretti just as if you’ve got them from an Italian pastry shop, use a vial. It’s super concentrated with intense flavor. DO NOT use almond extract sold in bottles. It’s less concentrated which means you need to add a lot of it which in turn with compromise the consistency of the dough! Alternatively you can use bitter apricot kernels to give the pleasant signature almond bitterness and aroma. You’ll need 10% of bitter apricot kernels and 90% blanched almonds. See notes at the end of the recipe. Make sure apricot kernel are of a good quality. Taste one and if it has pleasant strong bitter flavor and aroma (should not taste acidic!!) it’s prefect to use.
- Egg whites - at the risk of being unconventional, I don’t use fresh eggs. I use pasteurized egg whites sold in carton bricks! It’s easier to measure them PLUS they’re much safer to use and consume.
How To Make - Step By Step
- Process almonds and sugar in small batches until finely grind.
- Make sure to process a little sugar and little almonds at a time.
Ideally, for medium size food processor (2 quarts or 2 liters cup) not more than ½ cup almonds and ¼ cup sugar at one go.
Pay attention to not overly process or you'll get a sort of an almond butter and that's not what we want. Stop frequently (4-5 times) scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Place finely grind almond and sugar mix in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl beat egg whites at room temperature until stiff peaks - the foam should hold its shape well.
- In a bowl with ground almonds and sugar add a vial of bitter almond extract. Make sure you use those sold in vials and not the extract sold in bottles.
- Start adding whipped egg whites, a few dollops at a time. Mix until absorbs then add more. As the final result the dough should be soft but hold its shape.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 5 hours or overnight.
- As the dough rests it will thicken slightly without becoming hard. It's the key step for obtaining beautiful cracks and a perfect cookie shape that doesn't flatten out.
- Once the dough has rested, roll the balls about 35 grams each (about 1.2 ounces). Roll each ball in granulated sugar and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- DO NOT roll it again between your hand once coated with sugar. Cookies will be slightly uneven and that's how they should be.
- Decorate with a whole almond slightly pressing it into the dough.
- Bake in a preheated to 320F (160C) oven static setting (fan off) for 20-25 minutes. Cookies should be slightly browned on top and on the bottom.
Let cool before touching. Hot amaretti break easily!
Extra Notes & Tips
- Amaretti size: can vary. I prefer them slightly larger (35 grams each) but you can go as small as 20 or 25 grams.
- If in doubt: if you are not sure if the dough if of the right consistency here's what to do. Follow the recipe as instructed. After the dough has rested, roll one cookie and bake. If you're happy with the result roll and bake the whole batch. If if wish for the cookie to be lighter and a little taller add 1 extra tablespoon of egg whites to the dough and mix well. No need to beat the egg whites. If the test cookie after baking falls flat it needs more almond and sugar mix. You can easily process in a food processor 2 tablespoon of almonds and 2 tablespoon sugar and mix into the dough.
- Wet or dry: some people like to dip their hands in water before rolling the cookie. I do NOT recommend it. Instead wash and dry your hands a few times throughout the cooking rolling.
- Extra rolling: pay attention to NOT roll the cookies between your hands once they're coated with sugar. This will tighten the sugar crust and prevent cookies from having their signature beautiful cracks.
Make Ahead
Amaretti keep very well and can be stored for weeks. If you're planning to gift them, it's best to cook them a few days or 1 week in advance.
How To Store
Amaretti can be stored in a cookie jar or on a cake stand with a glass dome
like in the pictures. A little gift I made for myself to have cookies covered but always on the display.
Different Types Of Amaretti
Amaretti cookies are widely spread in all regions of Italy and in each you’ll find a slight variation on the ingredients. Some enrich them with orange paste, some with vanilla flavoring. Shape also can be different and they're not called amaretti cookies anymore, but each have their own regional name. Ricciarelli, tuscan diamond-shape almond cookies is a great example.
Classic amaretti with not extra flavorings and the exact name are known in 2 versions: Amaretti di Saronno (Lombardy region) and Amaretti di Sassello (Liguria region).
- Amaretti di Saronno, remain crispy and dry. They’re often used as an ingredient in other Italian dessert recipes and a often referred to as hard amaretti.
- Amaretti di Sassello, on the contrary remain chewy and softer. And these are exactly what we’re making today.
More Italian Cookies To Try
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Full Recipe
Amaretti - Soft Almond Cookies
Ingredients
For amaretti cookie dough
- 2 cups raw blanched almonds (without skin), 300 grams
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar , 240 grams, can add a little more if desired.
- ½ cup egg whites , 110 grams at room temperature
- 1 vial of bitter almond extract ,see notes
For decoration
- ¼ cup whole almonds
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Process almonds and sugar in small batches until finely grind. Make sure to process a little sugar and little almonds at a time. Ideally, for medium size food processor (2 quarts or 2 liters cup) not more than ½ cup almonds and ¼ cup sugar at one go. Pay attention to not overly process or you'll get a sort almond butter. Stop frequently (4-5 times) scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Place finely grind almond and sugar mix in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl beat egg whites at room temperature until stiff peaks - the foam should hold its shape well.
- In a bowl with ground almonds and sugar mix add a vial of bitter almond extract. Make sure you use those sold in vials and not the extract sold in bottles.
- Start adding whipped egg whites, a few dollops at a time. Mix until absorbed then add more. As a final result the dough should soft but hold its shape.
- Let the dough rest at room temperature for 5 hours or overnight covered with a plastic wrap. As the dough rests it will thicken slightly without becoming hard. It's the key step for obtaining beautiful cracks and a perfect cookie shape that doesn't flatten out.
- Roll the balls about 35 grams each (about 1.2 ounces). Roll each ball in granulated sugar and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Decorating with a whole almond slightly pressing it into the dough.
- Bake in a preheated for 320 F (160C) oven on static setting (fan off) for 15-20 minutes. Cookies should be slightly browned on top and on the bottom.
- Let cool completely and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Holidays!
Cathy says
Hi there, could the cookies be shaped and frozen for a later date. Thank you!
Julie says
If I have ground apricot kernals, how much of all of these ingredients would I use?
Jeanette says
Wow! They are exactly what I have missed since moving away from New Orleans!
Italian Recipe Book says
Thank you Jeanette! Yes, amaretti ARE addicting 🙂