These amaretti cookies are an Italian cookie perfect for the holidays. The outside of this almond cookie is slightly crisp and the inside is soft and chewy.
Love Italian cookies? Try our scrumptious mini almond biscotti as well.
Amaretti cookies have an undoubtedly unique texture. This chewy almond cookie not only tastes amazing but is gluten-free as well.
Amaretti cookies
Amaretti cookies are often made with amaretto (almond liqueur). I’ve tried to make them with and without amaretto. I personally prefer them with almond extract. Its also a lot easier to find almond extract over amaretto liqueur.
What are Amaretti cookies?
Amaretti cookies are an Italian gluten-free cookie made of egg whites, sugar, almond flour, and almond extract.
There are two types of Amaretti cookies; the soft kinds and the hard kinds.
- The soft version is also known as amaretti morbidi. They are very chewy.
- The crispy type is made the same way but held in the oven longer to obtain a crunchier texture.
Ingredients you’ll need to make them
- egg whites
- almond flour
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- powdered sugar
How to make amaretti cookies
This is a quick rundown. For the full recipe, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
- Separate the egg whites into a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and beat them with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Sift almond flour and sugar together.
- Add a third of the almond-sugar mixture and fold it in with a spatula. Then pour in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Continue adding the second third of the almond mixture. Then and fold it in again. Sift in the last third and fold it in once more.
- Scoop the dough and roll it into granulated sugar. Then roll the dough ball into powdered sugar. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly press each cookie with your hand. Bake for 25 minutes at 325°F.
How to make them Low carb
Amaretti cookies are already gluten-free so why not make them keto too right?? There is a simple way to transform these bite-sized treats into a low carb cookie! Just switch the sugar for a sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit, erythritol, or my favorite is a blend of monk fruit and allulose.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of almond flour?
Unfortunately, you cannot use all-purpose flour in place of almond flour. You can make almond flour yourself by very finely ground blanched and dried almonds, then sifting it so you have a fine flour.
Can I make them ahead of time?
Yes you can! Amaretti cookies can be frozen before they are baked. So make the cookies up until they are ready to go into the oven, then place them on a baking sheet, and freeze them for 1 hour. Then transfer to a ziplock bag. And keep frozen until ready to bake. To bake them after freezing, let them thaw for 30-60 minutes then dust with fresh powdered sugar before baking. Bake at the same temperature and time as the original recipe.
Watch a VIDEO on how to make them here!
Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 eggs whites
- Pinch salt
- 4 1/2-5 cups almond flour (depending on size of eggs) I find that 5 cups works best
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp almond extract (I prefer 2 tsp)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 powdered sugar
Instructions
- separate 5 egg whites into a bowl then add a pinch of salt.
- using an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Set that aside and sift 5 cups of almond flour with 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar into a bowl.
- Add about 1/3 of the almond flour mixture into the egg whites and fold it in gently with a spatula.
- Now go ahead and add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsps of almond extract. Then quickly fold it in.
- Add the second third of the almond flour mixture to the egg whites and gently fold it in again.
- Sift in the remaining third of the almond flour mixture and fold it in one last time. at this point, the cookie dough should have a thick paste like texture.
- Scoop out mounds of the cookie dough and place them into a plate of granulated sugar. Roll the scoop of cookie dough into the sugar, then take it into your hands and round it out to a ball.
- Drop the ball into a bowl of powdered sugar and evenly coat it.
- 10. Place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly press each cookie with your hand. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes.
Notes
- Chocolate Espresso Macarons- Coffee flavored macarons sandwiched between chocolate ganache.
- Easy Meringue Cookies- Quick vanilla meringue with chocolate cream and berries on top.
- Chocolate Meringue Cookies- Chewy and chocolatey cookies with chopped walnuts.
Nutrition
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Ziva says
Hi can I use ground almonds instead of almond flour? And if That won’t work how do I get the ground almonds to almond flour consistency? Thanks so much.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi 🙂 You can put the ground almonds into a food processor and pulse them to get it closer to almond flour consistency. It will have a slight different color since blanched almond flour is without the skin. I hope that helps and I hope you love these amaretti cookies 🙂 Please let me know how it goes 🙂
Cristalle says
These were delicious and I make them all the time! Question is, once baked, can they be frozen for future snacks? If so, how long would you recommend? I see that they could be frozen before baking but I missed that step before I popped them all in the oven! Thanks for the recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Cristalle! Baked amaretti cookies freeze really well! Once they are fully cooled, place them in an air-tight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving 🙂
Françoise says
I follow your recipe but too too sweet for me and believe me I have a sweet tooth
I did it again and I used only a cup of sugar and I only rolled them in powder sugar
Very nice thank you
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Francoise, glad to hear you loved these Amaretti cookies. Sweetness is something that can be adjusted per everyone’s personal preference 🙂 Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Rebecca says
Hi Dina!
I already have a bunch of egg whites I need to use up… would you know how many grams of egg whites I could use in this recipe? Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Rebecca, 5 egg whites should be roughly 150 grams total. I hope you love the recipe! 🙂
Diane Dewhirst says
Just made these this morning and had one as part of my ?breakfast lol. They are very easy to make. The instructions are quite clear. They are truly delicious. I might try less sugar next time though, as I often reduce the amount of sugar in most of my cookie recipes and no one has ever complained! The cookies look so pretty.This recipe is a keeper!
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! Very happy to hear you loved these Amaretti cookies so much! Glad that the instructions were easy to follow. Every recipe can be adjusted per everyone’s preference, that is the beauty of cooking/baking! Awesome that these cookies will be a repeat recipe in your home and thank you so much for your awesome review! 🙂
Diane Dewhirst says
Since I first tried your recipe, I tried another similar recipe. Yours was better, overall, in my opinion. I did a “taste test” with friends who voted your the better of the two!
simplyhomecooked says
I am so happy that you loved my recipe more Diane! It really means a lot to me 🙂
Tracy Luzadre says
These were so delicious…Everyone loved them..thank you for sharing the recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much Tracy! Happy to hear you loved these Amaretti cookies 🙂 I hope they become a family favorite and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
E Ford says
This is a wonderful recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much! Glad to hear you loved these Amaretti cookies 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Gavin says
Anyone else have issue getting them crisp? Perhaps my scoops are too large, no less, this is my second go st this recipe and have not gotten the golden brown bottom/crisp top.
Should I increase the heat to 350-375? Leave them in longer? Or make the copies dough scoops smaller?
Love this recipe! These cookies are amazing (even when underdone!).
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Gavin, it seems like your cookies might be too large. What size scoop are you using? Mine fits about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough.
Lola says
Can I just roll in powdered sugar instead of both granulated and powdered sugar?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Lola, yes you can just roll it in powdered sugar alone if you’d like 🙂
Kristina says
Really delicious cookies. It’s been hard to find cookies that aren’t vegan but are dairy free. These cookies are moist and very addicting. Thank you for sharing a great recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
So happy that you loved these Amaretti cookies Krisitina! These cookies really are delicious and unique 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my food blog 🙂
jessica says
I just made those cookies and they turned out very sweet. Are they suppose to be like that? Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jessica, these Amaretti cookies are not really supposed to be that sweet. Not sure why they turned out that way. Did you change any of the ingredients, quantities, or steps?
Cristalle says
How long can these be stored once baked to keep their chewer texture? And how should they be stored? Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
These cookies can last up to 1 week before they begin changing in texture and flavor. I love to store mine in oxo pop caontainers like this https://amzn.to/2ITVdRr
Anne-Marie says
Delisious cookies!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe 😊
simplyhomecooked says
So happy to hear that Anne-Marie! You are very welcome for this Amaretti cookie recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
DylansMama says
Have you ever tried using home made almond flour for these? I make my own almond milk and then I dry the left over pulp in the oven, then pulse it in the blender to make almond flour. (I keep the skins on the almonds) I was just wondering if I could use this kind of flour for the cookies…or is the texture different enough that it will change the cookie?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi, that is a good question. I have never tried making my own almond flour so I can’t say too much about that. I think it would be ok to use that for this recipe but the texture might be a little different since the almond flour probably won’t be as fine as the store-bought flour. Hope that helps. I hope you make them amaretti cookies! They are so worth it!! 🙂
Antoinette says
what is granulated sugar.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Antoinette, granulated sugar is also known as table sugar, white sugar, or regular sugar.
Kate says
Can you use regular flour?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kate, unfortunately, these cookies won’t work with regular all-purpose flour.
Natalia says
Hi I’m making these cookies right now, very excited for the result 😋
In the recipe you write to roll in powdered sugar, but in video you say to roll in granulated sugar and then in powdered sugar,
A little confused 😉
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Natalia, I hope you love these cookies! They truly are delicious 🙂 Thank you for keeping an eye on my blog and pointing out the details, I really appreciate that! It helps to keep my blog correct and up to date 🙂 Can you tell me where you saw the step with only the powdered sugar? I just looked in my recipe card on my blog and it has both the powdered sugar and the granulated sugar in there. Thank you! 🙂
Rose Marie says
The best amaretti cookies I have ever made. They’re delicious!!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you, Rose! We are obsessed with these amaretti cookies. They are always on the dessert menu for parties.
Kaysejean says
My friend brought these on our first in person visit since the coronavirus stay at home orders were issued. They were amazing. I loved the texture difference of the outside vs the chewy inside. If I made them myself, I might back off on the sugar or extracts just a bit, but i think that’s just my personal preference.
simplyhomecooked says
I am happy to hear that you enjoyed these amaretti cookies Kaysejean! Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Colleen says
These look amazing!
I’m wondering if I can use egg whites from a carton for these?
simplyhomecooked says
Thanks Colleen, I have never tried using egg whites from a carton to make amaertti cookies. But I think it should work. Let me know how it goes.
Diane Dewhirst says
Colleen, I tried the recipe with egg whites from a carton. I didn’t feel that they reached the stiff peak form very well. The cookies turned out fine in the end, but they weren’t as good as when I used egg whites that were NOT form a carton. Fresh egg whites seem to keep a long time in the fridge. Whenever I make a recipe that calls for extra yolks, like flan, I save the whites until I have enough to make these cookies.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the helpful information, Diane. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this!
Victoria says
I’m so excited to try these cookies! I’ve had the chewier kind before and I’d love to make those kind. What would the timing look like if were to try and accomplish that?
Thanks so much!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Victoria, These are pretty chewy, so I am not too sure what exact texture you’re going for. It’s hard to give you an exact bake time. Do you mean you like the crispier type of amaretti cookies?