Amaretti Cookies - Soft Italian Almond Cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Resting time:: 1

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 175kcal

Soft amaretti (amaretti morbidi) are popular gluten-free Italian almond cookies made with just 3 ingredients.

160 g blanched almonds or almond flour
60 g raw unpeeled almonds
2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
60 g egg whites approx the egg whites from 2 medium eggs
200 g sugar (or cane sugar or powdered sugar) plus extra for dusting the cookies

Place the almonds, sugar and lemon zest (optional) in a food processor and pulse them until the almonds are finely ground. If you use almond flour, you don’t need a food processor, simply mix almond flour, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl.
Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until slightly foamy. Then slowly incorporate into the mix of almonds and sugar.
Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to form small even balls. The mixture should be sticky but fairly firm, and the balls should hold their shape when placed on the baking tray. If the dough is very sticky, dust your hands in powdered sugar, then form the balls.
Arrange the balls on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and let them rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F and arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf of the oven.
Roll the amaretti in powdered sugar (or fine cane sugar) then gently flatten using the back of a spoon or the palm of your hand.
Place the amaretti cookies in the oven and bake them for 15-18 minutes. The cookies should have a slightly golden colour and should still feel quite soft when removed from the oven.
Transfer the cookies on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, they will harden as they cool.

The different ingredients you use will determine the color and texture of your amaretti.

They are all equally delicious, so pick your favorite combination according to your taste:

almond flour + powdered sugar: light-colored amaretti with a super soft and chewy texture, rolled in powdered sugar (as pictured above).
blanched almonds + bitter almonds + granulated sugar: light golden amaretti with a soft but more rustic texture, rolled in cane sugar.
blanched almonds + bitter almonds + cane sugar: golden brown amaretti with a soft but more rough texture, rolled in fine cane sugar (as pictured in the post).

US cup measurements can't be 100% accurate, so it's best to use a scale to weigh the ingredients.
To make things quicker, you can use almond flour instead of whole almonds.
If you can't find bitter almonds, substitute them with the same amount of blanched almonds.
If the dough is too wet, dust your hands in powdered sugar or wear disposable gloves when rolling the cookie balls.
Let the cookie dough balls rest for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. This will ensure that the cookies don’t flatten or spread when you bake them.

You can roll the dough balls into cane sugar or powdered sugar, but the latter is my favorite option.

Let the amaretti cool completely on a cooling rack, this will help to set the cookies, and result in a crunchy outside and a soft and chewy inside.