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!
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!
Recipe origins
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 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 who 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 you are ever 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!
Recipe
Soft Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams almond flour scant 2 ½ 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 ⅓ 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
- Some recipes will recommend using superfine sugar. I use granulated sugar and am very happy with the results.
- Any almond extract that lists oil of bitter almond as an ingredient can be used.
Nutrition
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.
Maria Valana
The best amaretti recipe I have ever tried (..I have tried many and none worked). They are absolutely delicious. Everyone in my family loves them. It is my go to recipe when I want to make an impression with company.
Thank-you so much for sharing.
Maria
Fantastic Maria! So thrilled to read this, thanks for sharing ♥
Kate Julien
Works perfectly! I recommend weighing the ingredients for precision.
Maria
Thanks for sharing Kate! Can’t go wrong with a scale 🙂
Dee
Turned out amazing!!! Best amaretti recipe I’ve ever found.
Maria
How wonderful Dee! Thank you so much for sharing!
Mary
Quick question Maria : regarding the egg whites, do you use a whisk attachment on a mixer or whisk by hand ?
I’m excited about this recipe and don’t want to blow it … lol
Maria
Thanks so much for your interest Mary. I use the whisk attachment although you can whisk by hand if you prefer. What is important is that you get them to a soft peak stage. You can refer to the video for a visual, sometimes that helps. Have fun!
Mary
This recipe is spectacular Maria !
Simpler than I would have thought – made these amaretti today and they are delish. My husband had a couple with his afternoon espresso and was smiling ear to ear ! Thanks sooo much
Maria
Thanks so much for sharing Mary! So thrilled to read this!
Michelle Hawkins
I made them last night and they came out exactly as pictured! So delicious and little clouds of perfection. They remind me of the shell of a French macaron because of the almond flour and egg whites, but much easier to make. Little crunch and soft and chewy inside. Delicious! Thank you and I will be making them again… like maybe tomorrow. 😊
Maria
How wonderful Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rosie
I just made these cookies and they are delish.
question, can I freeze them?
Maria
How wonderful Rosie! Yes, once they cool down to room temperature, I place them in a single layer in a freezable container. I separate the layers with a piece of wax paper. No one will guess that they were frozen. Enjoy!
Holley Hodgins
I tried these and loved them! Maybe I was too zealous with zesting, but next time, I will try using zest from only 1/2 lemon because lemon dominated over almond a bit in my cookies. Although I’m also going to buy bitter almonds (where I live, only available shipped from Europe apparently). Thank you Maria!
Maria
How wonderful Holley! You can really taste the addition of just a few bitter almonds. Thanks so much for sharing, enjoy!
Cathy
I just made them and measured by weight and the dough was wet. I measured 1 tbsp and it looked like too much and made only 20 cookies or less. They spread flat and were not firm. How did people get the dough from? I’ve seen other recipes where the ratio was with less eggs for 250 g. If this was tested and tested how could I made them turn out so awful?
Maria
I’m sorry you had problems with the recipe Cathy. I assure you that this recipe has been tested and it works. As per the previous comment, were you able to test out your scale since you noticed a discrepancy in your measurements? Did you weigh the almond flour or was it measured with cups? Did you make your own almond flour or was it purchased? Was the dough firm when you rolled it in the sugar? I apologize for all the questions… it is the only way to pinpoint where the issue might be.
Cathy Murdaca
I’m about to start these cookies but should I take the quantities by grams or cups? There is quite a difference in both. I measured by grams but it doesn’t equal to the cups measurements. I don’t want to mess up these cookies. I’ve tried quite a few amaretto cookies online and none have come out as pictured so I’m wasting lots of almond flour and eggs. Can you please advise asap? Thank you!
Maria
Thanks for your interest Cathy. If you fluff and scoop 2 1/2 (scant) cups of almond flour, you should get the equivalence of 240-250 grams. Here is a link to the exact measurement: source
Sometimes balances need to be adjusted. As a suggestion, perhaps you can check yours by weighing something where the actual weight is indicated. Have fun making the amaretti!
chantal mongeau
Hi Maria,
I love this recipe! I tried another recipe and even though it tasted fine, it wasn’t firm like yours. I make these for Christmas every year now. Thank you so much
Maria
So thrilled to read this! Thanks so much for sharing Chantal.