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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Belinda says
Delicious! I didn’t have the bitter almond flavoring, so used regular almond – I thought the substitution worked well for my enjoyment. The lemon zest sure does liven them up. So, so good. My niece is gluten intolerant so I’m looking forward to making these for her 🙂
Maria says
How wonderful Belinda!
Vali says
Ciao Maria,
These have always been my all-time favourite cookies! I first attempted making them myself after recently discovering how crazy-expensive (and not nearly as delicious) as the store-bought ones are. I made them for my mom after she had had surgery and preferred a diet of coffee and cookies to hospital food (typical Italian mom). In any case, they were very simple to make and turned out great. I tried to mimic the look of the bakery versions by rolling some in icing sugar, some in almond flakes, some in walnut bits. The next time I made them, I added some of the syrup from a jar of amarena cherries to part of the batter and topped those ones with half an amarena cherry. They were yummy, but in the future I might add a few drops of red food colouring as the colour was not so appealing; kinda taupe grey. I am planning on making these again tonight and delivering them to the doorsteps of my family members tomorrow since we cannot see each other during this terrible time! Thank you for your fantastic recipe!!!
Maria says
Amazing Vali! Thanks so much for sharing!
Nina says
What about the addition of some Pernigotti cocoa powder? What do you think and how much?
Thanks i have been using your recipe for a while now and love it!
Maria says
Oh, I think that is a great idea! I would probably start with 1 tablespoon and adjust accordingly. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Sue says
I located bitter almonds on Amazon. So instead of the bitter almond extract, how much of the bitter almonds would I need to use?
Maria says
You would have to test and adjust for your own taste, but I would start with 2-3 tablespoons of ground bitter almonds. Enjoy!
HFB says
My absolutely favorite cookie recipe ever. Foolproof. Do not fear the egg whites like you might in some recipes. Do weigh ingredients. I like mine with added orange extract. My go to cookie to impress. Family always requests them.
Maria says
Thanks so much HFB!
heidi says
Are you able to give weight for the egg whites? Extra large in the EU has nothing to do with an extra large egg purchased at a Costco, and in the UK a large is considered extra large in the states. On average, would you say @ 40grams per egg white?
Maria says
Hello Heidi, I finally weighed my egg white… 34 grams. Sorry for the delay. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Wendy says
Made these today and the texture was great but found them too sweet. I will cut the sugar in half and see if that works better for me. Otherwise the recipe was very easy to put together. Clubhouse makes an almond extract which uses bitter almonds in case people are having a hard time finding it in their normal grocery stores. Thanks for your recipe!
Maria says
My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by Wendy, appreciate it.
Matthew says
This is my go-to recipe for spare egg whites. It is brilliant! (Un)Fortunately, everyone I know thinks so too so I end up having to crack open more eggs to keep up with demand! Itvisxworth it, though!
Maria says
lol, thanks so much Matthew. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
William says
Made these today came out amazing!
Maria says
Fantastic William! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with these amaretti!
Gabriella says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. These amaretti are just perfect. My father tried for years to get this recipe right, but it was very hit and miss. I’m sure he would have loved them. I’m so happy to be able to make them for my family now. I so love and appreciate your website and recipes. As the child of Italian immigrants I want to pass on so many of the recipes I grew up eating to my own children. I’m delighted to have found your website. Your recipes are truly authentic. Mille grazie Maria!
Maria says
Thank you so much for your kind words Gabriella! I am thrilled to hear you are enjoying the amaretti! It really is about keeping our traditions alive. Thanks so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it!