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Soft Italian Amaretti Cookies

You'll be pleasantly surprised by how effortlessly these gluten-free Italian almond cookies, also known as Amaretti Morbidi, come together with just a handful of ingredients; they're the perfect accompaniment to coffee or espresso, and with their irresistible chewy texture, you'll likely find yourself doubling the batch to keep up with demand!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 15 cookies
Course: Dessert, Snack, teatime
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • cups almond flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 Tbs amaretto liqueur
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Equipment

  • 1 hand mixer (or use a wire whisk quickly, for at least 5 minutes!)

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 ℉ and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a baking mat. Optionally, consider doubling the cookie sheet to create an air pocket, which can help reduce browning on the bottom (refer to the video demonstration for further guidance). Set the prepared sheet aside for later use.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour and sugar; set aside.
  3. In another large bowl, utilize a handheld mixer to whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Then, gently incorporate the amaretto and almond extract until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
  4. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and utilize a spoon to gently stir until a cohesive dough is formed. Optionally, the dough may be chilled for 20-30 minutes, although this step is not imperative given the low-fat content of the mixture.
  5. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Use a medium or small cookie scoop to portion out the dough into balls. If using a small cookie scoop, the balls will be approximately 1 inch in diameter, while a medium cookie scoop will result in golf ball-sized balls. Shape the dough into balls using your hands, then roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat lightly. Arrange the coated cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1.5 inches of space between each cookie for even baking.
  6. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes if using a small cookie scoop, or 20-25 minutes for medium-sized balls, or until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops begin to crack. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Opt for almond flour if almond meal is unavailable. Ensure that the almonds are ground finely, resembling flour in consistency.
  • If cream of tartar isn't accessible, substitute it with an equal amount of lemon juice.
  • In the absence of amaretto liqueur, replace it with ¼ teaspoon of almond extract or omit it entirely.
  • Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, indicating that the peaks gently fall rather than remaining upright when lifted with a spoon.
  • Cooking times vary due to different ovens and size of cookie scoop.  If using a medium sized cookie scoop (like I did in the video), bake the cookies until they begin to lightly brown. 20 Minutes was perfect in my oven followed by 25 minutes for a slightly crunchier exterior.
  • If using a small cookie scoop, bake cookies for 15-20 minutes only. Check the cookies at 15 minutes.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, but they probably won't last that long!