Soft Amaretti Cookies

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5 from 1 vote

Homemade soft amaretti cookies - simple yet fancy. Only four ingredients for an elegant chewy, marzipan-like cookie!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Resting Time1

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 108kcal

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Almond flour See notes for using peeled almonds
1 1/4 cups Granulated sugar
2 large Egg whites
½ teaspoon Almond extract
2 drops Bitter almond extract (OPTIONAL) completely optional (hard to find)
1 cup Powdered sugar or as needed (for working the dough and rolling)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Make the Dough and Shape the Cookies

In the bowl of a standing mixer or using a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff on high speed.
In another bowl, combine the almond flour and granulated sugar.
Add the sugar and almond flour mixture to the egg white and mix until well combined. If needed, squeeze the mixture into a dough.
Sprinkle a clean work surface generously with powdered sugar. Transfer the dough onto the sugared surface and divide into 4 equal pieces.
Dust each piece in the powdered sugar to coat. Shape the dough into long ropes about 1 to 1.5 inches thick. Cut the cylinders into pieces approximately 1 to 1.5 inches long.
Roll the cylinder shapes into balls using the palms of your hands, like shaping a meatball.
Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl and roll each cookie into the powdered sugar to coat.
Place the sugar-coated balls about 1.5 inches apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate them for at least a half hour or overnight.

To Bake the Cookies

Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) (static setting, not convection) and bring the cookies back to room temperature while the oven is heating up.
Lightly roll your amaretti in another layer of powdered sugar. Place them on the prepared baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, possibly longer if the cookies are still cold. The cookies should not darken, but they will pick up color on the bottom, so be sure to check the bottoms before removing them from the oven.
If you make smaller cookies, 13 to 15 minutes should be sufficient (again, check for light golden color on bottoms).
The longer baked, the firmer they will get, so aim for a shorter baking time if you like them softer and vice versa if you want harder cookies.
Once baked and completely cooled, transfer the amaretti to tin boxes to store them. This helps prevent them from absorbing moisture and keeps them soft and delicious. Do not store while still warm.

Notes

True authentic amaretti cookies contain bitter almond extract (just a few drops!!) - hence the name amaretti (amaro or amara = bitter in Italian).

However, bitter almond is very hard to find due to its high content of amygdalin, which can release cyanide when metabolized, making it toxic and subject to strict regulation and control. If you want to increase the authenticity of these cookies, search online for bitter almond extract (which can still be found via online specialty stores) and add no more than 1/8 teaspoon to the recipe.

The best way to make these is to weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale (and it's easier, too!).

If you have a scale, you may use peeled almonds instead of almond flour. Weigh the equivalent amount of almonds to flour needed, and process in a blender with a few tablespoons of the sugar in the recipe until the mixture turns into flour.

Nutrition