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.
yveline neveux
excellent cookies, recipe easy to follow as usual merci
Maria
Je vous en prie Yveline ♥ Thanks for stopping by!
Diana
Hi Maria I absolutely love these cookies and I’ve always been successful except today. My amaretti spread and ended up being flatter and bigger. The only thing I did differently was that I beat my egg whites to stiff peaks. (I was texting! ) No more texting while baking Lol 😆Lesson learnt! Do you think that may have caused this to happen? Or perhaps too much sugar as I did put in a full cup?
Maria
Sorry to hear this. Yes, both of these factors could affect the final product. I think it was probably a combination of both.
Diana
Thank you for sharing this recipe Maria. Just wondering if you can pipe them instead of rolling them.
Maria
You probably could if you had a wide enough tip. If interested, I do have a piped amaretti cookie… this one also requires a large opening in order to pipe them easily.
Liezel
Thank you for sharing this recipe Maria. It turned out perfectly! So lovely to make a recipe and it turnes out exactly as per the picture🤍
I filled some with a maraschino cherry, some with lemon curd and homemade lemon and orange peel, stuffed some with christmas mince pie filling and some with speculoos fudge🍒A wonderful surprise when bite into them!
Next I am making your limoncello💛🍋
Blessings from South Africa!
Maria
Oh my goodness Liezel! They all sound so divine! Thanks so much for taking the time to share ♥
Mira
Easy, perfect, inspiring! Thank you 😊
Maria
My pleasure Mira, thank you.
Deborah
Can you freeze them?
Maria
Yes, they freeze wonderfully. Enjoy ♥
Rina Pavan
These cookies were very easy to make and very delicious. Everyone raved about them. I’m now making 120 for a bridal shower. Thank you Maria for sharing this recipe.
Maria
My pleasure Rina! SO happy to read this! Congratulations to the bride to be ♥
Karen P
Have you ever tried freezing them?
Maria
Hi Karen! Yes, they freeze perfectly. Enjoy!
Katie
These were amazing!! If you (like me) are a no patience, no frills type, I’m here to tell you that you can skip weighing (I generally prefer to, but am not at home with my food scale), the ice cream scoop (it’s supposed to be a tablespoon, so I used my tbsp measure), and dampening your palms (I just rolled them in a bowl of sugar). I’m sure the sugar does stick better with the original method, but I wouldn’t have wanted them any sweeter. I’m off to make these again (just came here for the recipe!)
Annette
Amazing. Easy to make in a short amount of time. I used superfine sugar. A little crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside. The taste is incredible. My family devoured them. Now I have a recipe for when I have egg whites left from another recipe like lemon curd. I thought the lemon zest was weird at first but let me tell you. When you bite into the cookie you know there’s something else in that cookie that puts it over the top. It’s not a punch of lemon. I will make this over and over again. I followed the recipe exactly how it was posted.
Maria
Thanks so much Annette!
E Tsang
I followed the recipe and am completely satisfied with the results! It tastes even better than the cookies we bought from Italy!
Maria
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Diana
Omg, simple to make and delicious 🥰 loved them!!!
Maria
Thanks Diana!