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.
Anna
Almond cookies are straight from heaven. I wonder if anyone has been able to make them using egg substitute instead of egg whites?
Maria
Thanks Anna. Hopefully someone will respond. Thanks for stopping by.
Kathy McSparran
Have you ever tried any sugar-free versions? …Perhaps with stevia, erythritol, or Lakanto monk fruit (and erythritol) alternative sweeteners?
Maria
Hi Kathy, unfortunately I haven’t. Perhaps someone will respond and share their experience. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Rebecca
I love these and so does my family. They are so easy to make and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Maria
My pleasure Rebecca! I am so happy to hear this. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.
Velkumaran
Thanks🙏🙇
Katen
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
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
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
My pleasure Grace, I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it.
Gina
Going to tr6 this recipe very soon. They look yummy. Thanks
Maria
How wonderful Gina, enjoy! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Janie Nelson
I very much enjoy these cookies. They turn out well every time and taste wonderful. So happy to have found it
Maria
I am also happy you found this amaretti recipe Janie. Thanks for sharing, appreciate it!
Tazzy
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
What a creative version Tazzy! Thanks for taking the time to share, appreciate it!
Nikki
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.
Mary Miller
Thanks NIKKI, for your comment, as that I have to find a way (if possible) to make these more ‘sugar’ free in giving us the idea of what we can do. Someone tried to use MonkFruit which had it come out gummy. I know from experience that using Erythritol these cookies would be hard. Is there a hybrid we can use like ½ sugar and ½ Erythritol that might work (to keep them moist?). Still working on that ‘cookie ratio’ where they come out softer….I’ve been following this thread for about 2 years. Thanks.
Sonya Ricard
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
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
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
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!