Amaretti - Italian Chewy Almond Cookies
Amaretti cookies are probably the world’s most famous Italian cookies.And for a good reason! Slightly crunchy on the outside they’re perfectly chewy inside.
Ingredients
Amaretti dough:
- 20 oz peeled almonds OR 20 oz almond flour
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar OR 12 oz confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract OR 5 oz bitter apricot kernels
- 5 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
Coating:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
Almonds
- If you’re using whole peeled almonds, toast them in the oven until lightly brown. This will give a darker color and more bright flavor to amaretti.
- Once almonds reach desired color, cool them completely.
- Pulse almonds and bitter apricot kernels (if you opt to use those as in traditional Italian recipe) with sugar in a food processor as finely as you can.
- NOTE: if you are using almond flour, use confectioners sugar instead of regular sugar. This way you don't need to use a food processor. Simply mix everything in the bowl.
- Add almond extract.
Egg whites
- Beat egg white with a pinch of salt until completely white and fluffy.
- Start to fold egg white into sugar and almond mix. Add a couple of table spoons at a time. You should reach silky and stiff consistency of the cookie dough.
NOTE: You may not need to use all egg whites, just enough to get the dough together.
Rolling cookies
- Sprinkle work surface with some powdered/confectioners sugar.
- Pinch off some dough and roll it into ⅔ of an inch rope.
Using a dough scraper cut the rope into ⅔ of an inch pieces. - Roll each “pillow” giving it a ball shape (size of a walnut) and roll it in generous amount of confectioners sugar.
- Place each cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Decorate with an almond nut (optional). - Bake in preheated to 350F oven for 12-15 minutes, just until inside the crinkles amaretti become lightly brown.