Italian Amaretti Cookies
These soft, Italian almond cookies have a chewy texture and taste delicious! They're naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
Servings: 18 (makes 18)
Calories: 132kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour (Measure by scooping into a cup and leveling it off.)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup egg whites (From 3 extra-large eggs or 4 large; see notes.)
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract (or use amaretto)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (or more as needed to coat the cookie dough balls)
- 18 whole almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease the pans. Add the powdered sugar to a small or medium bowl.
- Add the almond flour, granulated sugar and salt to a medium or large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the egg whites to a small mixing bowl. Whisk for two minutes, then whisk in the almond extract.
- Pour the egg white mixture into the almond flour mixture. Use a silicone spatula to combine everything until blended well and the batter forms a sticky dough.
- Begin rolling the dough into 1 ½-inch balls, using a small cookie scoop if you have one to measure out the dough, then rolling the dough into balls between the palms of your hands. You can coat your hands in powdered sugar to make it easier to roll the dough.
- Place each dough ball into the bowl of powdered sugar to coat it, then place the balls on the prepared pans, spacing them 1 ½-inches apart. If at any point, the dough becomes too sticky to work with, freeze it for 10 minutes.
- Use your hands to flatten the cookie dough balls a bit. (This helps to form the signature cracks in the amaretti cookies.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and let them rest in the pan for five minutes to set. Break open a cookie to make sure the inside is cooked through. If it seems a bit raw in the middle, put the pan back in the oven for a couple more minutes, then check again for doneness.
- After the baked amaretti cookies have rested for five minutes, transfer them to a cooling rack. If desired, press an almond onto the tops of some or all of the cookies.
- The amaretti taste best when fully cooled off. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to five days. You can freeze them for up to three months in a single layer in a zip-top bag, laying flat. The cookies will be chewy if eaten right out of the freezer, but you can let them come to room temperature first, if you wish.
Notes
I haven't tried them in this recipe, but you should be able to use clear egg whites from a carton instead of separating the eggs yourself.
Don't use a glass to flatten the dough balls, because the cookies won't form their signature cracks when baked.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 0.01IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
