How To Make Amaretti Cookies
I am a bit of a dunker. I like to dunk and dip foods. The joy of dunking a cookie a some liquid always exceeds my expectations. Whether it be mocha cookies dunked in milk or chocolate chip cookies dipped in what I believe to be the elixir of dipping – cold brew coffee -, the act of dunking never fails to leave me satisfied. As an avid dunker, I am always on the lookout for new things to dunk and one of the best things I have found to dunk are soft, chewy amaretti cookies! A good bath in espresso and it is another match made in the kitchen.
How To Make Amaretti Cookies – The Almond Meal
Amaretti might be the simplest cookies I have ever made. There are only 4 ingredients. The main ingredient is almond meal which you can buy at the grocery store. Almond meal is nothing more than pulverized almonds. With the main ingredient being almond, it just so happens that amaretti are gluten free. There is no flour. If gluten free is your thing then this is for you. For me, it is more of an inadvertent bonus. It is good to have a few gluten free recipes that work in your recipe box in case your friends who tolerate your boreish humor but not gluten, come over for a visit.
How To Make Amaretti Cookies – The Sugar and Eggs
Aside from almond meal, the cookies are sweetened with powdered sugar which helps make a chewy cookie. Regular sugar would give it a crunch that I don’t think works that well. Once sweetened, the almond meal is bound with egg white. Some recipes call for whipping the egg white to firm peaks. I really see no reason for this. I could not detect a difference between those made with whipped eggs and those make with egg white that was just given a quick swirl with a fork to bring them together. The egg whites are spiked with a some flavors, too. Almond extract is obvious and so is vanilla. You can easily see though, that any number of flavors would be great in this simple cookie. A flavored cookie, outside of the usual flavors is no less dunk-able! The almond meal/powdered sugar mixture is simply moistened with the egg white, scooped into balls and baked.
How To Make Amaretti Cookies – The Next Level
There are many ways to take amaretti to the next level. Simply rolling the balls of dough into powdered sugar is one way. Another way is to use Amarena cherries. Amarena cherries are the more sophisticated, Italian cousin of the candy like maraschino cherry. I like to make a little divot in my amaretti dough balls and insert an amarena cherry. Oh my, that is so good! These cookies bake up easy and they come out of the oven ready to dunk. I like them warm, but after they cool they get a little chewier which is nice, too! I think I hear my cold brew calling!
The ‘How To make Amaretti Cookies’ video is below. The full recipe follows.
- 8 oz of almond flour
- 4 oz of powdered sugar plus extra for rolling
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp of almond extract
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 can of Amarena cherries (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour and powdered sugar with a fork until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, mix egg whites with the flavor extracts. Whisk together with a fork.
- Add the egg white mixture to the almond meal and sugar mixture and mix until it is fully moistened. A soft dough will form that sticks together when pressed.
- Using a tbsp or small scoop, scoop small balls of dough and roll them in extra powdered sugar.
- Place the sugared balls of dough on a parchment lined baking tray.
- Using a finger make a small indentation in each ball of dough. Place one amarena cherry into each indentation.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until just beginning to get golden brown.
- Remove from the oven.
- Let cool and serve.
- Any candied fruit can be used instead of the amarena cherries. You can also experiment with other flavor extracts.
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