Easy Italian almond cookies recipe - soft amaretti
This Italian recipe for almond cookies a.k.a. soft amaretti, requires three basic ingredients (almond flour, sugar and egg whites) and is made in 3 different ways.
Course Dessert, Snack, Sweet
Cuisine gluten-free, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword almond, amaretii, cookies, easy, soft
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 14
Calories 94kcal
Author Makos
Ingredients
For the basic almond amaretti recipe:
2egg whites (60 grams), room temperature
pinchof salt
¼teaspoonalmond extract
½teaspoonvanilla extract
⅔cups(130 grams) white sugar
2cups(200 grams) almond flour
icing sugar for coating
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C).
Transfer the egg whites and the salt to the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on high until soft peaks form. You can also do that by hand using a whisk. Add the almond extract and the vanilla and mix well. Smell the mixture and if the almond scent seems too weak, add another ¼ of a teaspoon almond extract.
Add the sugar and stir until combined. Then add the almond flour and mix well with a spatula until a dough is formed. It may be a little sticky but that's okay.
Transfer some icing sugar to a shallow plate. Take heaped tablespoons of dough the size of a small walnut (about 25 grams / 0.88 oz).Shape the cookies into small balls by rolling them briefly between your hands. Transfer the balls to the icing sugar and roll them to coat well.
Transfer to a baking pan and press them gently to flatten them a bit. Bake for 22-25 minutes. You don't want them to brown.Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
For the matcha – lime amaretti:Add 1 tablespoon of matcha green tea to the flour and replace the vanilla with 1 teaspoon lime zest.For the hazelnut – espresso amaretti:Replace all the almond flour with 3 cups hazelnut flour and replace the vanilla with 2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso coffee.OrStart with 2 cups hazelnut flour and replace the vanilla with1 teaspoon instant coffee powder. Add more hazelnut flour if the dough is very sticky...
Baking time will depend on the size of the cookies. Smaller cookies will need less baking time while larger cookies will need more.
Depending on the brand of your almond extract you may need to increase it to ½ a teaspoon.
Use room temperature egg whites because they will whip up much faster.
If you like these italian almond cookies, you'll love this easy French Creme Brulee