Soft, Chewy Amaretti Cookies

Recipe: Amaretti Cookies Recipe »

Amaretti Cookies are one of the easiest cookies or biscuits and are made with egg white, almonds and sugar. These soft, chewy Italian cookies with the beautiful cracked icing sugar appearance are quick to make for when you want something satisfying and delicious. My version is filled with cherries and almonds for an extra crunch. They're also gluten free and I share a Thermomix recipe too which is super quick! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

Amaretto (or their plural amaretti) are soft, chewy Italian cookies that are like a macaroon cookie. You can buy soft, chewy ones or hard crisp amaretti. This recipe is for soft and chewy amaretti cookies or Amaretti di Saronno.

About Amaretti Cookies

What's the difference between amaretto and amaretti cookies? Amaretto is a singular cookie and amaretti is the plural. Slightly confusingly, amaretto is also an almond liqueur!

Why are amaretti cookies so sweet? Originally, bitter almonds were used (hence the name that means bitter almonds). But nowadays sweet almonds are used to make these cookies.

Why did my Amaretti cookies flatten? The egg whites were not aerated enough. You need to whip the egg whites until you get a stiff peak.

How do Italians eat amaretti? Amaretti are usually eaten with coffee or with a dessert wine.

If you love Italian cookies, then please try this pistachio biscotti recipe. They're one of my favourite ever cookies! Or try this white chocolate and ginger biscotti recipe.

The ingredients used for Amaretti Cookies are easy to find at the supermarket. They include:

• Ground almonds or almond meal. These will be in place of the flour and will form the base of the cookies. I recommend using commercial almond meal rather than homemade to get a smoother result.
• Caster or superfine sugar to sweeten the cookies.
• Egg whites are used as the raising agent in these cookies. Once the cookies bake they will swell and produce those gorgeous signature cracks
• Almond extract to make it a more pronounced almond flavour.
• Vanilla extract just to make these just that more aromatic.
• Amarena or glace cherries are the fruit filling. You can use any other dried or glace fruit. Dried cranberries, apricots, prunes or figs work really well in amaretti. Amaerna cherries are Italian cherries that you can buy at Italian delis that have a distinct flavour. Honestly I don't love amarena cherries (don't kill me!) so I use regular glace cherries or dried sour cherries.
• Toasted almonds are also added in the filling for crunch. You can use slivered almonds or whole natural almonds, chopped up and toasted. Make sure to toast these before using!
• Icing or powdered sugar is used to roll the biscuits in. Once they swell and rise in the oven you get these gorgeous cracks on the surface.

Tips For Making Amaretti Cookies

1 - Make sure to weigh the egg whites before using them. Eggs vary in size and if the white you use is too big then the cookie dough will be too sticky and won't work.

2 - Use commercially ground almonds (rather than home ground) for the finest texture.

3 - If the mixture is too sticky, add a tablespoon or so more of ground almonds.

4 - Use damp hands to shape the cookies. Otherwise the mixture will stick.

5 - Place the cookies on the cookie sheet with 1.5 inches between them.

6 - The almonds must be toasted and cooled before using them.

7 - Roll these well in the sugar. When the signature cracks appear they will look really good!

8 - Once baked amaretti cookies will last for 1 week approximately in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Amaretti Cookies Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes 12-14 cookies

Ingredients Needed

• 60g/2oz egg white (approximately 2, but make sure to weigh for accuracy)
• Pinch of salt
• 200g/7ozs ground almonds/almond meal (plus more if needed)
• 150g/5ozs caster or superfine sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• A few drops almond extract
• 40g/1.4oz glace or amarena cherries
• 15g/0.5oz almonds, chopped and toasted
• 55g/2ozs icing or powdered sugar, sifted

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 140C/284F fan forced or 160C/320F conventional and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until you get a meringue with stiff peaks. (Thermomix directions: insert butterfly whisk, 2-3 minutes, Speed #3.5). Mix the ground almonds, sugar, vanilla and almond flavouring together in a large bowl with the meringue. (Thermomix directions: add the almonds, sugar, vanilla nad almond flavouring to the meringue, set to speed 4 for 15 seconds, scrape down sides and repeat). It should form a thick paste that is not too sticky. If it is too sticky, add a tablespoon more or so of the ground almonds.

Step 2 - Sieve the icing or powdered sugar into a bowl ready. Dampen your hands with water and scoop out 28g/1oz balls of dough. Flatten slightly and place 1 cherry and a few pieces of toasted almond and then close the dough up and shape into a ball. Place in the icing/powdered sugar and roll around until well coated in the sugar. Place on the lined baking tray 1.5 inches apart as they will spread. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on the tray for 30 minutes (they will be very delicate when first baked).

Storage tips: Once baked amaretti cookies will last for 1 week approximately in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Personal Note

These cookies are a great gift for anyone (well obvs except people that can't eat nuts!). Last week I travelled with the nicest group of women to Switzerland. Rhere were 10 of us from all over the world: Switzerland, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Holland, China, Canada, Portugal and Brazil and little ol' me from Australia.

I know how the sterotypes go that there will be catfights but honestly I think that's such a tired trope comes straight from the patriarchy. I could not have asked for 9 lovelier people to travel with. Everyone helped and supported each other. If someone dropped something, someone would help, if someone slipped the others would lift them up literally.

Hiromi from Japan also brought little gifts for us - little sachets of matcha latte drink which are perfect for travel writers because we always need a bit of caffeine and these are easy to make a ready made matcha latte using just hot water. It brought about a discussion from each of us about what we'd bring from our own countries. For Australia I'd probably bring Tim Tams because Vegemite is an acquired taste. But really I'd like to bring these amaretti cookies (even though they're from Italy)!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like amaretti cookies? What small gift would you bring people from your country?