Amaretti Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cups superfine almond flour (or almond meal)


¾ cup granulated sugar


¼ teaspoon kosher salt


2 egg whites


½ teaspoon almond extract


1 cup powdered sugar

Description

Bite-sized amaretti cookies are the perfect complement to a shot of espresso, glass of amaro, or bowl of ice cream. These soft and chewy Italian cookies deliver a striking two-tone texture and loads of floral almond flavor.
Buy superfine almond flour. The grind of the almond meal will impact the tightness of the amaretti cookie’s shape. Amaretti cookies should have a tighter shape, so you’ll need superfine almond flour for best results. Additionally, using superfine almond flour helps prevent spreading when baking. Grinding your own almonds in a food processor is an option, but almonds release more oil when using his method, resulting in a slightly wetter dough.
Use bitter almond flour for a traditional result. Traditional amaretti cookies are made with bitter almond flour that imparts bitter undertones. Bitter almond flour can be challenging to find in conventional grocery stores but may be available from an online specialty retailer if you want to recreate the original recipe.
Look for stiff peaks in your egg whites. Amaretti cookies rely on egg whites as their sole leavening agent, so it’s important to whisk them until they resemble clouds. If the egg whites take on a soap suds-like consistency during the whisking process, you’ll need to start over. Save the egg whites in an airtight container, place them in the fridge, and use them to make egg white omelets for breakfast.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 320° Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, and salt.

Using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gently fold or mix into dry ingredients along with almond extract. The more air that remains in the dough, the puffier the amaretti will be.

Portion the dough using a cookie scoop or a measuring spoon. Roll the dough between your palms to make a neat ball. Roll in powdered sugar and place on the baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.

Bake until pale golden brown, about 15–20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for one week.