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–+ servings
Amaretti biscuits on a blue plate.

Amaretti

Robyn
These light and chewy Amaretti biscuits made with almond flour are traditional Italian cookies made with just 4 ingredients. Naturally gluten free free, they are delicious with coffee or made into a simple dessert.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course baking
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 Biscuits
Calories 94 kcal

Equipment

  • hand mixer
  • 2 bowls
  • 2 baking sheets lined

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Egg whites from large eggs
  • 150g (1½ c) almond meal
  • 160g (⅔ c ) caster sugar
  • ½ teaspoon almond essence

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan / 170℃ / 300℉ convection / 340℉.
  • Line 2 baking sheets / baking trays with baking paper / baking parchment.
  • Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl to stiff peaks with a hand mixer.
  • In another bowl, mix the ground almonds / almond meal with the caster sugar and almond essence.
  • Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
  • Using a teaspoon, take a spoonful of the dough and roll into a ball in between your hands.
  • Place the balls on a lined baking sheet.
  • Repeat with the rest of the dough, leaving a little room between the amaretti. If the dough sticks to your hands, wet them slightly.
  • Place in to the preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes until very lightly golden.
  • Leave the cooked amaretti biscuits on the tin for a couple of minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Notes

Almond meal - known as almond meal in Australia, ground almonds in the UK and almond flour in the USA. Traditional amaretti are made from blanched whole almonds that are ground in to a flour, but I have used almond meal / ground almonds for ease.
Egg whites - leftover egg whites, or see the end of the post for recipes to use egg yolks.
Caster sugar - superfine sugar.
Almond essence - or almond extract. If you are able to find bitter almond extract, use this instead for a truly authentic amaretto cookie.
When whisking egg whites, make sure the bowl is clean and dry, as any moisture or grease can prevent them from whipping.
Make the balls the same size to make sure they all cook evenly.
Let the cookies cool completely before moving them from the tray. If they are still warm the base of them can remain on the tray when you lift them off!
For an extra crunch, top each biscuits with a blanched almond or whole almond before baking.
I have used basic ground almonds / almond meal and almond essence as they are ingredients readily available at all supermarkets in the UK / Australia. If you are able to find bitter almond extract use that in place of the almond extract, or use 3 bitter apricot kernels ground up into a flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 94kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 6mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.4mg
Keyword Italian almond biscuits, Italian biscuits, Italian cookies

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