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 cup 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 20-25 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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Tricia Caporale says
Hello! 🙂
I made these cookies today, and they came out wonderful! I actually left you a rating and comment earlier today, but I’m not seeing it anymore. I just had a question… Do I have to scoop the dough into cookies before I freeze them, or do you think it would be okay to freeze the dough as is and then at a later date I can defrost them and scoop them out.
Dina says
Hi Tricia, I just saw your first comment and responded 🙂 I would scoop the dough and then freeze it. Thank you for your kind feedback 🙂
Tricia Caporale says
Hello 🙂
I made the dough for this fabulous recipe. I baked off some and they are truly the best I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing it 🙂
I have a question… Does the dough have to be scooped into cookies before freezing?… or can I freeze the dough as one big piece and defrost and scoop them out at a later date?
Dina says
Thank you, Tricia! I am so happy to hear that you loved these cookies so much! I have not tried freezing the dough before so I am not too sure. I would probably shape them and then freeze them. But I do know that they freeze really well after being baked and cooled. I hope that helps 🙂
Tessa says
Really wonderful cookies!! Better than those I had in Italy, actually. Without a scoop, I tried portioning these out with a tablespoon measure, which made for nicely sized cookies, but far more than the recipe indicated – 70! Which is kind of a bonus. For a second batch I portioned by weight (~33 gr), which was far easier but I needed to cook about 10 minutes longer. They turned out excellent and yielded about 35 cookies. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper! Oh, since I bake frequently, I always try to use a scale to achieve better consistency of the finished product. Is it possible to list your ingredients by weight too?
Dina says
Hi Tessa! I am so thrilled to hear that you loved these cookies so much! Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful feedback. I will work on getting the recipe by weight 🙂
Kim says
I started making these last year, and they’ve been in regular rotation ever since!! So fast and easy for honestly one of the best cookies I’ve ever made.
Dina says
Kim, I am so happy you discovered these cookies. I too was so mind blown and excited after trying these for the first time. It’s definitely a staple in our home as well.
Nikki says
Possibly the tastiest cookies I’ve ever made. I did the 4 1/2 cups of almond flour and 1 tsp of almond extract, and they came out absolutely perfect. Thank you so much.
Dina says
You are very welcome Nikki! You are too kind! Glad to hear you thought these were the tastiest cookies ever! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and support! I hope you give more recipes from my website a try! 🙂
MS says
Fabulous cookies and so easy to make ! Crispy outside and chewy inside . It is almost like eating Marzipan ! Definitely will make it many times more ! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe !
Dina says
You are very welcome! So happy to hear that you loved these cookies so much! Makes me so happy when people have my recipes on repeat in their homes! Thank you so much for your support! I hope you find more recipes to enjoy from my food blog! 🙂
Stephanie says
Everyone loved these. Was told by one person that they are better than the ones they bought in the north end of Boston. Will definitely be making these again and again.
Dina says
Wow, what a huge compliment! Thank you for sharing your kind feedback with me Stephanie!
Irene Dilberaki says
These were so easy to make and so tasty!!
Thank you
Dina says
My pleasure Irene! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies.
Carole says
I made these yesterday to have for my family Christmas celebration. They are already gone and were a huge hit! They remind me of my childhood and the Italian almond cookies found in bakeries. I am actually making another batch tomorrow as they were that good. This recipe is an absolute keeper and I am so thankful to have found it.
Dina says
Wow Carole! That is amazing! I am so happy that you got a chance to try these cookies and fell in love with them! 🙂
Jamie says
My whole family loved these and I took them to a cookie exchange party. They won the best tasting cookie award!! Going in our family favorites recipe book. Thank you!!
Dina says
Wow that is incredible Jamie! Your comment totally made my day! That is so awesome!! Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback. It truly means so much to me!
Christina says
How do you make 1/2 the amount for the recipe? I’m trying to figure out the 5 eggs. Even 1/3 still can’t figure out the egg ratio. Could I do 1/2 the recipe and use 2 eggs?
And does it matter if the eggs are room temperature or straight from the fridge?
Dina says
Hi Christina, the best way to get half the amount of eggs is by weighing them. 1 eggwhite is about 30 grams. If you have a scale you will need a total of 75 grams of egg whites to get roughly half the amount. I hope that helps!
Joanne D’Amico says
Hmm my icing sugar melted just before the cooking time was done. I guess I can always powder them again once cooked? Just wondering why it happened. I baked them at 325 as instructed.
Dina says
Hi Joanne, that is really strange. I have never encountered that issue before. I think that maybe your dough might have been too wet. Or maybe there was a little moisture in the icing sugar that caused the icing sugar to melt? I think a little dusting of icing sugar after they are baked will work too 🙂
Josianne Grenier says
Is it normal that it took me 3 hours to sift 4 1/2 cup if almond flour at first before the second time ? Is there a trick or ground my flour first in a coffe grinder? My brand of my flour is Kirkland.
Dina says
Hi Josianne, 3 hours is a really long time to sift a few cups of almond flour. I actually used the Kirkland brand as well. I think that you might have an extra fine mesh sieve. That is what might have made it so hard to sift. I would recommend pulsing the flour through a food processor to get it extra fine. Or maybe use a different sieve? I hope that makes sense 🙂
Joe Ann says
This is a wonderful recipe. I’m so glad I found it.
Dina says
Thank you so much Joe Ann!
Chuck says
By far one of the best cookies I made for Christmas. Easy, but so hard not to want and eat a bunch before the guests get them. I’ll most likely do a double batch next time and get rid of one of the others
Dina says
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your awesome recipe feedback, Chuck. I am so happy to hear that you loved these cookies!
Rebecca says
Oh my goodness, how have I not known about these cookies before! I followed the recipe exactly, baked for 25 minutes and they are amazing. Definitely keeping this recipe in my cookie repertoire!
Dina says
I am so happy to hear that Rebecca! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback!
Jordan says
Hi I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but do you think I could substitute amaretto liqueur for the almond extract? I saw a similar recipe that said to use either with the liqueur at a 3:1 ratio of the extract if swapping.
Dina says
Hi Jordan, yes that should work! Enjoy 🙂