Mary’s Amaretti Cookies
The amaretti cookie is so much more than just a cookie. These almond-flavored, multi-tasking treats are the Italian cousin of the French macaron, but they’re not nearly as fussy.
The Italian word “amaro” means “bitter” and amaretti translates as the bitter ones. These are not bitter, but my version has orange zest, so they’re citrusy. The word “cookie” is usually left off, but if you see a dessert with “amaretti” tacked on, it probably means the cookies are crushed and used as a crunchy topping. But I like them whole with a cup of coffee. They remind me of a trip I took to Florence with my mother-in-law where we ate amaretti with our morning coffee.
Amaretti Ingredients
If you’re having a hard time finding a place that sells amaretti, don’t worry about it—they’re really easy to make. They also don’t call for any unusual or hard-to-find ingredients. Aside from the almond flour or ground almond meal, some recipes give the cookies a boost of almond flavor with almond paste or amaretto liqueur, but I like to use almond extract in the dough and save the liqueur for the glaze.
Amaretti Dough
Amaretti cookie dough is much more manageable than French macaron dough. Like macarons, the dry ingredients are mixed with egg whites and the dough comes together in a stand mixer. But instead of piping the almond mixture into circles, you use a small cookie scoop to make balls of dough. You then coat them with an orange zest and sugar mixture (some people use lemon zest) before placing them on a cookie sheet and baking. Some bakers like to roll their dough in powdered sugar, but I like using granulated sugar—it gives the cookies a slightly crunchy exterior in contrast to the soft, chewy interior.
These cookies have a long shelf life and even become crunchier with a little age, so don't be afraid to double your recipe and make extra to top ice cream or baked fruit for extra texture.
Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups almond flour or 3 cups blanched slivered almonds, finely ground
- 1½ cups superfine or caster sugar (see note)
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons sugar (for dusting)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 5 to 7 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur, preferably Amaretto
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl of a food processor, combine almond flour and sugar. Add vanilla and almond extracts and process. Add egg whites to the almond flour mixture, one at a time, processing until dough is smooth.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar with orange zest. Lightly dust hands with flour. Take teaspoons full of dough and roll into balls. Cover tops with the sugar and orange zest mixture. Place cookies 3-inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on trays for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
- Cookies can also be finished with an Amaretto glaze. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar and Amaretto until drizzling consistency. Place cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle cookies with icing, allowing excess icing to drip onto baking sheet. Allow icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes. The cookies can also be sandwiched together with jam, ganache or buttercream.
- Note: It’s easy to make your own superfine sugar, also known as caster sugar. Place granulated sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar until it reaches a super-fine consistency. Be careful not to overprocess or it will be powdery. Let the sugar settle for a few minutes before removing from the processor or blender.
