Soft Amaretti Cookies are a moist & chewy classic Italian cookie. This recipe has been tested until perfect making it the best ever gluten free recipe for amaretti morbidi. You are going to love them! VIDEO INCLUDED.
Soft Amaretti Cookies
This post was originally published on December 13, 2014 and republished on November 21, 2017 with updated content, photos and a video. Thanks for watching and sharing.
Amaretti (plural) are almond flavored Italian macaroons that can have a texture ranging from soft and chewy to crispy. Amaretti can be found throughout Italy with each region claiming to have “the best” version of this cookie.
Without a doubt, the most famous commercially sold Amaretti are made by the Lazzaroni family in the city of Saronno located in the Northern area of Lombardy: Amaretti di Saronno. They are beautifully wrapped amaretti that come packaged in an easily recognizable red tin can. The Lazzaroni family have been making these Italian almond cookies since 1719.
Amaretti morbidi are, without a doubt, perfect for your holiday cookie platter. They also make great hostess gifts. There are endless variations that can be found for Italian Amaretti Cookies, but today I’d like to share my tested until perfect recipe.
If you speak a bit of Italian, you will have probably guessed that the word amaretti is derived from the word amaro, which means bitter. And so in order to get the true authentic taste of an amaretti, you must use bitter almonds. They aren’t readily available in North America, so I replaced them with bitter almond extract.
This Italian almond cookie recipe also calls for almond flour (if you recall, we also used almond flour in this other version of amaretti Cookies). The finely ground almond flour will provide a smooth texture that will taste like marzipan.
If you prefer a coarser texture, you can use blanched almonds, and grind your own. This will provide you with amaretti biscuits that still have that same great flavor, but with a less refined texture.
That perfect smooth texture and those pretty cracks on the surface of these chewy amaretti cookies depend on incorporating exactly the right amount of egg whites into the ground almond mixture.
That’s the challenge!
Come and take a look at how to make this amaretti cookie recipe… it’s a lot easier than you think!
HOW TO MAKE SOFT AMARETTI COOKIES:
I have divided the process of making amaretti cookies as follows:
The dry ingredients: The dry ingredients consist of almond flour, sugar and lemon zest. It’s important to whisk the almond flour and the sugar really, really well together. We also need to add the finely grated lemon zest. Once everything is whisked together, set it aside while we whisk the egg whites.
The wet ingredients: The wet ingredients consist of 3 egg whites and bitter almond extract. With a whisk, beat the egg whites to the soft peak stage (ie: when the whites begin to curl). I then add the bitter almond extract, and whisk for another minute or so.
The combination: Gently incorporate the egg white mixture with the dry ingredients. In just a few minutes, the almond flour will absorb the egg whites and you will obtain a nice sticky mixture.
The rolling of amaretti: Begin by portioning the amaretti dough. I like to use a small ice cream scooper, that way, all of the amaretti biscuits will be the same size. I will then dampen my hands and press my palms into a plate of sugar (I picked up this trick from one of my favorite blogs, Jovina Cooks. Thanks Jovina 🙂 )
I like to roll them a little bit more in the sugar and then onto the baking sheet and into the oven.
That’s it! Simple right?
The only thing left to do is get the coffee ready because in just 25 minutes, you will not believe what will come out of your oven! The most delicious amaretto cookies!
ORIGINS OF THE RECIPE FOR SOFT AMARETTI COOKIES:
Over thirty years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Sardinia. Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean sea, and is geographically located to the west of Italy. I can still remember the landscapes and the turquoise waters- breathtaking and beautiful beyond words.
One of the best souvenirs I have from Sardinia was a conversation I had with a local merchant – she actually shared her Amaretti recipe with me! Even back then, I was curious about cookies and I guess she picked up on that. As was mentioned, the original recipe calls for bitter almonds, which I replaced with bitter almond extract, except for one year…
A few years ago, Vittoria (the same wonderful person that shared her Limoncello recipe with me) brought me a bag of processed bitter almonds from Italy. I used them in this amaretti recipe and the taste was incredible! For the record, you need to add about one ounce of these ground almonds. So, if ever you are in Italy, you can look for processed bitter almonds. Don’t forget to declare them at customs!
Hope you get a chance to try this recipe… would love to hear how they turned out for you.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made these Amaretti Cookies, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Soft Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams almond flour scant 2 1/2 cups
- 200 grams sugar approx 1 cup
- lemon zest of one medium lemon
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon bitter almond extract
- extra granulated sugar for rolling sprinkle 1/3 cup in a large dinner plate, set aside
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Position rack in the center.
- Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk almond flour and sugar together.
- Add grated lemon zest and whisk a few more times. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to a soft peak stage.
- Whisk in the bitter almond extract.
- Gently incorporate the egg whites to the dry ingredients. Once the dough is completely moist, you are done.
- Use the smallest ice cream scooper to portion the dough (about 1 tablespoon).
- With slightly damp hands, press your palms into the plate of sugar.
- Roll each ball of dough with your sugar coated palms and then again in the sugar found on the plate.
- Place on the paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown in color.
- Cool before storing at room temperature in airtight containers. Will keep for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
HELPFUL HINTS ON HOW TO MAKE BAKERY-LIKE AMARETTI COOKIES:
Some recipes will recommend using super fine sugar. I use granulated sugar and am very happy with the results. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.Nutrition
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Masanori says
When I was in Italy this summer, I picked up soft Amaretti cookies. My son and I fell in love with them. We went online for a recipe and found yours. The recipe was very easy to follow! My 12 year-old son did most of it. Our cookies looked so professional and tasted as good, if not better than, the ones from Italy. My son is 1/4 Italian. Baking Amaretti cookies was actually a way for him to embrace his roots! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Maria says
How wonderful Masanori! I am thrilled to hear you both enjoyed this amaretti recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it!
Masanori says
On our second trial, we experimented with a monk fruit sweetener. To give you the conclusion, it was a complete failure! So, stick with regular sugar!
We used the Lakanto brand (the first ingredient being erythritol followed by monk fruit extract). First of all, the cookie dough did not rise at all. The texture turned out to be terrible. They were gooey, both inside and outside.
Maria says
You never know until you try! Thanks so much for sharing your experiment with all of us. Hope you have a wonderful weekend Masanori!
Gnome says
Way too much lemon. Nice texture though.
Maria says
Thanks for sharing Gnome. That’s the beauty of making your own cookies, you can always tweak the recipe. Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it!
Roger the Cat says
I did not get beautiful cracking! And they are hardening as we speak. When you place the balls on the parchment did you squish them down a little to make more of a cookie shape? or just place the balls? My first batch I cooked 26 minutes and they look horrible and are hard as a rock, I lightly pressed them to flatten. The second batch I only cooked 23 minutes and I gently pressed them with the bottom of a wine glass. The taste of the cookies is exceptional, but they still are not right. I had one the other day. It was beautifully browned and I think they used a coarse sugar to roll it in. Any tips or correction is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Maria says
Roger, I am sorry to hear you are having issues getting the right texture. Based on what you told me, here are my comments/suggestions and maybe this will trigger the solution.
-There is no need to flatten the cookie.
-The cookie is rolled in sugar. As you can see in the video, before I roll the cookies in the granulated sugar, I gently roll the cookie between the palm of my hands (previously dampened and lightly pressed into a plate of sugar- this prevents the dough from sticking to your hands).
-Did you use a scale to measure the almond flour? It sounds like the ratio of flour to egg white might be a bit off and they are drying out in the oven.
-The next time, instead of baking a whole batch, try baking just a few to see if you have the right consistency…
Please feel free to get back to me with any questions. Sometimes it takes a couple of little tweaks 🙂
Maria says
I have been unable to find bitter almond extract. Will the regular pure almond extract work?
Maria says
Yes, that is a good replacement. Thanks for stopping by Maria.
Grace says
My first test batch was a success! I used Almond Meal instead of almond flour and it turned out fine. However, the color of the cookies was not a beautiful cream color as your photos show, but were a little bit darker and mottled with bits of the almond skin. The cookie was still crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I will try it with the almond flour another time. I brought them to work and everyone loved them!
I also tried rollng the dough and shaping the cookies into crescent shapes (like I saw at Whole Foods bakery in Los Angeles) and sprinkled some slivered almonds on them. I cooked those for 20 minutes since they were not as thick. Those cookies went just as quickly! THANK YOU for sharing this recipe!
Maria says
How wonderful Grace! Love the idea of shaping these amaretti in a crescent shape. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience with this recipe, appreciate it.
Anna says
Hi there
I love love ❤️ amaretti cookies . Read your recipe and it is similar to the ones I make. I toast the whole almond a bit (in the microwave, very easy to do) and then cool and grind them. I like the look of the darker almond colour , they are not white. I don’t recall reading anything about how to store them. One reader mentioned that she froze them. What do you recommend?
Anna
Maria says
Thanks Anna. Yes, they can easily be frozen. I would also like to add that I place a piece of parchment paper in between the layers. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Lil says
Thank you very much for the recipe. I love amaretti and have been looking for a soft recipe like this. Can you tell me where I can buy the bitter almond extract? Look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you.
Maria says
Hi Lil, thanks so much for your interest. The bitter almond extract is usually available wherever you buy extracts. Any major grocery stores should carry it. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Anna says
Almond cookies are straight from heaven. I wonder if anyone has been able to make them using egg substitute instead of egg whites?
Maria says
Thanks Anna. Hopefully someone will respond. Thanks for stopping by.
Kathy McSparran says
Have you ever tried any sugar-free versions? …Perhaps with stevia, erythritol, or Lakanto monk fruit (and erythritol) alternative sweeteners?
Maria says
Hi Kathy, unfortunately I haven’t. Perhaps someone will respond and share their experience. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Rebecca says
I love these and so does my family. They are so easy to make and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Maria says
My pleasure Rebecca! I am so happy to hear this. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.
Velkumaran says
Thanks🙏🙇
Katen says
Yummmm So easy so good
Thank you for the recipe and the helpful video. I’m about to bake them for a second time. My family can’t get enough.
Maria says
How wonderful Katen! So glad to hear you are enjoying these amaretti cookies. Thanks so much for taking the time to share, I appreciate it.
Grace says
This recipe makes what I thought was elusive , now accessible to me! Delicious and so simple to make. I’ve always loved these cookies and considered them a real treat whenever I was in a good Italian bakery. Now I can make them! This receipt is printed and has a special place in my personal baking binder! grazie!
Maria says
My pleasure Grace, I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it.
Gina says
Going to tr6 this recipe very soon. They look yummy. Thanks
Maria says
How wonderful Gina, enjoy! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Janie Nelson says
I very much enjoy these cookies. They turn out well every time and taste wonderful. So happy to have found it
Maria says
I am also happy you found this amaretti recipe Janie. Thanks for sharing, appreciate it!
Tazzy says
What a great and forgiving recipe! It was really easy to make definitely the beginner recipe. I substituted half cup of almond flour for ground pistachios and I did a mix of almond and vanilla essence. I ended up stirring in only 3/4 cups of sugar. I also did not roll the cookies in Sugar as the recipe suggests . Despite reducing the sugar considerably everyone in the family including myself thought the cookies were very sweet to the point that the sweetness over powered any other flavor . In the future I will further reduce the sugar to 1/2 cups or less and will put less lemon zest. However all in all everyone in the family liked it esp the texture which turned out great.
Maria says
What a creative version Tazzy! Thanks for taking the time to share, appreciate it!
Nikki says
That’s because almond flour is sweeter than regular flour. I’m a professional baker and bake gf and regular. That’s why your cookies came out sweeter just FYI.
Sonya Ricard says
Made these cookies. AMAZING!!! I LOVE anything almond!!! These were truly delicious! I put a whole almond in the top of each cookie. Very pretty! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Maria says
How wonderful Sonya! I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed these amaretti. Love the addition of the almond. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.
Nadia says
Made these cookies twice now and they are truly Amazing!!! I’m so glad that I don’t have to buy them anymore I just make them and freeze them!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
My family loves them!
Maria says
My pleasure Nadia! I’m so glad you are enjoying these amaretti cookies! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it. Have a great week-end!