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These soft amaretti cookies are light and airy and perfectly almond. With only seven ingredients, you can bake Italian almond cookies in under 30 minutes!
These amaretti cookies, also known as amaretti morbidi (meaning soft in Italian), are naturally gluten-free and super easy to make! Unlike their crispy cousins, they have a soft and chewy exterior with a marzipan-like center. Made with almond flour and almond extract, they are the perfect cookie for all almond lovers!
It is cookie season, and this season holds a special place in my heart for many reasons! These cookies are a perfect addition to any holiday cookie plate. Let’s make a nut-based cookie plate and pair these with my cherry cookies, white chocolate macadamia cookies, Linzer cookies, and cranberry orange shortbread cookies!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love These Soft Amaretti Cookies
- Naturally Gluten Free. Using only almond flour, sugar, and egg whites to hold these cookies together keeps them gluten-free and truly delicious!
- Authentic Italian cookie flavor and texture! I created this recipe for an Italian restaurant’s “cookie box.” These amaretti cookies are perfectly sweet and have a marzipan-like texture on the inside. They will make you feel like you just walked out of a bakery in Italy.
- Simple ingredients and simple to make. They are made with seven very accessible ingredients. These cookies can be made in under 30 minutes. And there is no chilling needed to make and straight into the oven!
Professional Tips for Making Italian Amaretti Cookies
- Don’t over-whip the egg whites. Over-whipping will make it much harder to fold them into the almond mixture. It won’t be the end of the world; I just want this process to be as easy as possible.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies. For the best texture you want these cookies just baked with a light golden brown color. This will keep the cookies soft longer.
- Let your kitchen appliances do the work. You can make these by hand, but using a food processor and a stand mixer will make them faster and easier.
- Use a cookie scoop! This Italian cookie dough is very sticky, and using a cookie scoop will give you more uniform cookies with less hassle.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Almond Flour: Bob’s Red Mill almond flour is my preferred almond flour. I would not suggest making your own almond flour for these cookies; homemade flour can vary in moisture and cause the cookies to spread.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and stability to these Amaretti cookies.
- Kosher Salt
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract: The combination of vanilla and almond extract creates the perfect marzipan-like almond flavor.
- Egg Whites: Whipped egg whites bind the cookie together. You may use store-bought egg whites.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: The powdered sugar coating adds a bit of additional sweetness, and it helps keep the cookies moist during longer storage.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Change the nut flour. Experiment with a variety of nut flours. These would be delicious with hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, or coconut flour!
- Make with additional flavor. These cookies can be made with cocoa powder, matcha, or frozen dried fruit like raspberries and strawberries. You will want to adjust the almond flour slightly to accommodate the addition of another dry ingredient, like chocolate chips.
- Add alcohol. Before you fold in the egg whites, add some amaretto liqueur, Grand Marnier, or Frangelico to the almond flour mixture.
What is an Amaretti Cookie?
Amaretti cookies are an Italian gluten-free cookie made of egg whites, sugar, almond flour, and almond extract. There are three types of Amaretti cookies. The soft version is amaretti morbidi, which are the cookies in this recipe. Then there is the crispy type, which is made the same way but held in the oven longer to obtain a crunchier texture. They are called amaretti croccanti. The third is called amaretti di Saronno, and these cookies are made with apricot kernels for a more bitter flavor and darker color.
How to Make Soft Amaretti Cookies
Use these instructions to make perfectly soft and light amaretti cookies every time!
Make and Bake Cookies:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 275°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients of almond flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture turns fine.
Step 3: Add extracts and then pulse to combine, scraping down sides if necessary.
Step 4: Whip the egg whites to soft peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
When you remove the whisk from the egg whites and hold it upside down, the eggs are at soft peaks. There should be a peak that flops over the top.
Step 5: Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture. First, sacrifice a small amount of the egg whites into the almond mixture before folding in the rest.
“Sacrificing” the first bit of the egg white mixture will help make the almond mixture a little lighter, make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites, and keep some of the air.
Step 6: Scoop using ½ -inch scoop (smallest), roll generously in powdered sugar like these chocolate crinkles, and place 2 inches apart on a lined baking tray.
I like to work 3 at a time, like when rolling pignoli cookies in pine nuts.
Step 7: Bake at 275°F until light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool completely, and enjoy!
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Make sure to coat these cookies really well in powdered sugar. Roll them around a few times to ensure a nice layer of sugar to keep the cookies’ beautiful crinkle and chewy exterior.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baked amaretti cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to two months. You may also store the cookie dough in the freezer.
Yes, you can buy egg whites and use them for these cookies. You can also use your leftover yolks for chocolate pudding or lemon curd!
You can use homemade almond flour. Just know it might affect the amount the cookies spread; homemade flours vary in moisture.
These are the perfect cookies to serve with an espresso, but they will also make a great addition to any holiday cookie plate! Pair them with my grandma’s molasses cookies, rum refrigerator cookies, and soft cut-out sugar cookies!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 large egg whites
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make and Bake Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 275°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients of almond flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture turns fine.
- Add extracts and then pulse to combine, scraping down sides if necessary.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
- Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture. First, sacrifice a small amount of the egg whites into the almond mixture before folding in the rest.
- Scoop using ½ -inch scoop (smallest), roll generously in powdered sugar like these chocolate crinkles, and place 2 inches apart on a lined baking tray.
- Bake at 275°F until light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool completely, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested Italian cookie recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed Italian recipes, like pizzelles and pignoli cookies! For the savory side, make sure to make my Italian sausage soup and serve it with some cheesy garlic bread.
So airy! I loved making these!
Hi Lisabel! Happy to hear it!