With a crispy exterior and soft and chewy interior, these irresistible Italian Amaretti Cookies also known as Amaretti Morbidi are Italian almond cookies made with almond flour and are naturally gluten-free.
This recipe for Italian Amaretti Cookies are one of our favorites. The cookies are quick and easy to make, are made with a handful of ingredients and just like these Almond Marzipan Bars, they have a delicious marzipan-like centre that stays tender and chewy.
These are a great cookie for making ahead and giving away as a host/hostess gift. They're so delicious and pretty looking everyone will think you purchased them at an Italian bakery!
How to Make Soft Amaretti Cookies
These Amaretti cookies are made with simple ingredients, don't require a lot of time to make and are perfect when you want a gluten-free treat.
Here's an overview of the amaretti cookie recipe and the ingredients and steps to making these cookies. Please take a look at the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the ingredient amounts.
Ingredients Overview:
- Almond flour: You'll need to use finely ground blanched almond flour for these amaretti cookies.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Lemon zest
- Egg whites from three large eggs
- Almond extract
If you have leftover almond flour and are looking for recipes to use it up, you must give these Chocolate Amaretti Cookies and these Almond Flour Brownies a try, they're simply amazing! And if gluten isn't a concern, this Cherry Almond Cake and these Mini Almond and Matcha Bundt Cakes use a combination of all-purpose flour and almond flour.
Steps Overview:
Since egg whites whip up better when they are at room temperature, start by separating the eggs. You will only need the egg whites for these amaretti cookies so you can refrigerate the yolks for another use.
For best results, I highly recommend using a food scale to measure the almond flour for this recipe. Without a scale, you could end up using a bit more than you should.
If you must use cups to measure, I recommend fluffing the almond flour with a fork or small whisk before measuring. Then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. You'll want to make sure that you're not packing it in, so don't tap the cup on the counter. Finally, use a straight-edged utensil to level off the cup.
After measuring the dry ingredients, add them to a medium bowl and add the lemon zest. With your fingers, break up any clumps of zest and blend in with the almond flour, granulated sugar and salt.
Set the almond flour mixture aside and whip the room temperature egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until you have medium-firm peaks.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites and almond extract into the flour mixture until you have a uniform dough.
Pour granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and use your hands to roll into a ball until it's smooth. Then roll the cookie dough ball in the granulated sugar. The balls should be just a bit over 1-inch wide in size.
Place the amaretti cookie balls onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven until bottoms are lightly golden and the outside of the cookies just begin to color and are firm to the touch.
Cool cookies on a wire rack before storing.
Serving Suggestions
Though these soft amaretti cookies can be served anytime of the year, their sparkly exterior makes them especially perfect for serving during the holiday season. Amaretti biscuits are delicious served with an espresso or cup of coffee but can also be served with tea or on their own.
Storage Instructions
Amaretti cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to at least a week. If you're making them ahead of time, they can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies in the refrigerator overnight.
Tip: A great way to make sure these cookies keep their shape, is to start by freezing them on cookie sheets until they are frozen solid, then put them in a freezer bag and return to the freezer.
For more delicious Italian cookies, don't forget to check out these Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti, Hazelnut Chocolate Biscotti and Apricot and Almond Biscotti recipes.
Happy baking!
More Recipes with Almonds
- Rosemary Roasted Almonds
- Vanilla Almond Granola
- Apricot Almond Bars
- Powdered Sugar Almond Cookies
- Hazelnut and Almond Crescents
Italian Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 256 grams almond flour 2.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons (lightly spoon almond flour into measuring cup)
- 200 grams granulated sugar approximately 1 cup
- ⅛ teaspoon salt pinch
- 1 lemon zest from 1 lemon (medium-sized)
- 3 room temperature egg whites from 3 large eggs
- 1-½ teaspoons almond extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling cookies in) or powdered sugar or a combination of both
Instructions
- Separate 3 large eggs. Let the egg whites come to room temperature.
- Place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the almond flour, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest. Whisk until blended. Use your fingers to break up any little clumps of lemon zest in the flour. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the egg whites on low until frothy and then on medium-high speed until medium firm peaks form. Add almond extract to the egg whites and gently combine.
- Fold the beaten egg whites into the almond flour mixture until the mixture is well combined and becomes a sticky dough.
- Using a small cookie scoop (size 60), scoop dough ball. Use your hands to roll the dough until you have a smooth ball and then roll it in the granulated sugar. The balls should be just a bit over 1-inch wide in size. Place the cookie balls onto the baking sheet, spacing them about an inch and a half apart. Repeat until your sheet is full.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 16-18 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden and tops are firm to the touch.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- I like to use a cookie scoop that's about 1.25 to 1.5 inch wide, or a size 60 scoop. A size 60 scoop will hold just about 1 tablespoon of liquid. So if you don't own a cookie scoop, you can use a tablespoon to portion the dough.
- For best results, I recommend using a food scale for this recipe. Without a scale, you could end up using a bit more almond flour than you should. If you must use cups to measure, fluff the flour with a fork or small whisk before measuring. Then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Make sure to not pack the flour in and don't tap the cup on the counter. Use a straight-edged utensil to level off the cup.