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.
New Baker
Looks great! I’m a little confused about the ingredients measurements. 250grams of almond flour=2.5 cups but 200grams of sugar=1 cup? Is this correct?
Maria
Hello new baker! I am so excited for you to try these cookies. Yes, as different foods have a different amount of volumes and weight measurements. As an example, if you were to weigh 1 tablespoon of sugar, you would get approx. 13 grams; 1 tablespoon of almond flour weighs about 6.5 grams. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pamela
Hi! Can you freeze rough dough for these?
Maria
Great question Pamela! I have not tried. I usually freeze them after they are baked and they are great. I would love to hear about your results if you do decide to try it.
Jessie Sottile
My girlfriend made with almond past but you had to eat them right away or they would get hard. Do you think you using the almond flour is better?
Maria
Unfortunately, almond paste is not a substitution for almond flour. The recipe will yield the best amaretti with almond flour. I hope you get a chance to try them. Thanks for stopping by.
T
Can this be made w all purpose flour?
Thanks
Maria
No, unfortunately, the final product will not be the same. If you have almonds, you can blanch them and then grind them finely. The cookie will turn out a little flatter but you will still have the same taste.
Anna
Instead of using the Almond flour, I would like to use real almonds so how much would I have to grind up
Maria
Hi Anna, I would use the same amount as indicated in the recipe. I would suggest using blanched almonds. When I was testing out the recipe I found that it resulted in a flatter looking cookie. The taste was the same. Good Luck!
paul
Just curious how these will come out if I use the yolks too?
Maria
I can’t really say as I have never tried. One thing is for sure in order to get the right texture, you will have to play around with the ratio of wet and dry ingredients. If you do decide to try it, I would love to hear about your results. Thanks for stopping by.
Rhonda
I have try them using the whole egg and they were still delicious
Paula Stewart
I finally got around to making these cookies and they turned out very good and absolutely delicious. This recipe was easy to follow and will definitely be a keeper for me.
Thanks for sharing🙏.
Maria
My pleasure Paula! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Angela
Hi Maria
Absolutely loved making your Amaretti cookies. They reminded me very much of my mom’s , they were delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe. 😊
Maria
My pleasure Angela! Thanks for sharing!
Cindy Durantini
Maria Thank You I have been on a mission to find the best recipe for this cookie for years because Its to expensive to buy $9.99 1b and your recipe is better than the Italian market because they will always be fresh, its the worst biting into a cookie hard as a rock. I give you 5 star all day long. I wow the crowd every time I make Amoretti Cookies.
Thank you for Sharing
Cindy
Maria
Thanks so much Cindy! Thrilled to read this!
Bing
So good! I will make these cookies again and again… Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Maria
My pleasure Bing! Thanks for sharing.