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By The Modern Nonna
on Nov 15, 2022, Updated Nov 08, 2023
4.52 from 201 votes
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One of my favorite recipes in the world has got to be Italian Amaretti 🤌cookies. These authentic Italian cookies are so good that I love them even more than chocolate chip, oatmeal, gingerbread, and sugar cookies combined! The recipe makes sixteen biscotti’s, so if you want to make everyone happy, you may need to double or even triple it. The best part is that you can make them without the Amaretto and they’re just as delicious.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Italian Amaretti Cookies
- How to Prepare Italian Amaretti Cookies
- Nonna’s Tip 👩🍳
- Italian Amaretti Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Other Cookie Recipes
- Best Served With
- Common Questions
- 4 Ingredient Amaretti cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love Italian Amaretti Cookies
What’s not to love – crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and easy to make. Not to mention, they happen to be gluten-free, and dairy-free, and they don’t have yolks, milk, butter, or traditional flour in them so they are definitely a bit cleaner and more inclusive than other holiday recipes.
How to Prepare Italian Amaretti Cookies
👩🍳Preheat the oven to 350F. Begin by combining almond flour and sugar in a bowl, setting it aside.
🥣In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form white, foamy peaks, this usually takes 1-2 minutes. Add almond extract (or Amaretto) to the egg-white mixture, whisking briefly.
🥚Combine the egg whites with the dry ingredients, using a spatula or your hands if needed, until a sticky dough forms.
🥄Roll the dough into balls, using a measuring spoon or small ice-cream scoop, and dip each cookie ball into powdered sugar before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
🌙Gently flatten each cookie with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Or, you can shape them into half-moons, dip them in crushed almond slices, or leave them plain.
🧁Bake at 350F for approximately 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. After baking, allow the biscotti to cool and before storing them in a glass Tupperware.
Nonna’s Tip 👩🍳
Make sure to whisk the egg-whites until they form stiff peaks. Feel free to shape the cookies any shape you like.
Italian Amaretti Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- I wouldn’t substitute egg-whites in this recipe. However, you can add other ingredients in the dough like raisins, craisins, or anything festive.
- I have not tried this recipe with any other flour, so you will have to experiment.
- The almond on top of each cookie is more traditional, but optional. Feel free to shape them any way you like.
Other Cookie Recipes
If you love this recipe, you have to try my other cookie recipes such as my easy Puff Pastry Nutella Twists.
Shortbread Butter Cookies
27 mins
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
25 mins
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
3 hrs 23 mins
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Best Served With
- Coffee or tea ☕
- The Italian way which is with a shot of Vecchia 🥃 (Italian Brandy)
- With a glass of milk 🥛
Common Questions
Can i use any other flour in this recipe?
Although I have not tried this recipe with any other flour, you can definitely experiment. Results and measurements will vary.
Can I leave out the eggs?
Unfortunately, you will need the eggs in this recipe. I do recommend looking for other egg-free cookie recipes online if you are egg-free.
Can I leave out the almond extract?
Yes but these are almond cookies. You can however substitute for pure vanilla extract but know that it won’t be that same authentic taste.
4 Ingredient Amaretti cookies
These cookies boast a crunchy exterior and a soft, chewy inside, while being easy to make. They're both gluten-free and dairy-free, free from yolks, milk, butter, or traditional flour, making them a cleaner, more inclusive choice.
4.52 from 201 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 16 cookies
Author: The Modern Nonna
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups almond flour , (250 g) blanched
- ½ cup granulated sugar , (100 g)
- ½ cup egg-whites, (120 ml) I separated 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract , or vanilla if you don’t like it
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl, mix the almond flour and sugar and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg-whites until they are white and foamy for about 1-2 minutes.
Now add in the almond extract (or Amaretto) and whisk for a few seconds. Add the egg-white mixture into your dry ingredients. Incorporate with a spatula or switch to using your hands if you have a hard time.
If the dough sticks to your hands you can wet your hands a bit and roll.
Incorporate everything until you have a nice sticky dough. Once you have a sticky dough you can roll each cookie into balls — take a measuring spoon or small ice-cream scoop and scoop the dough into your hands and roll them.
Dip each cookie ball into powdered sugar and place them on your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each cookie gently with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
You can also roll them into a ball and then roll into a thick short rope and make a half-moon shape and then dip it crushed almond slices, and then add powdered sugar on top. You can also make half-moons and leave them plain as well.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until light golden bottoms. Let them cool and place them in a glass Tupperware as they will be delicious even 2-3 days before Christmas. Enjoy and share with your loved ones!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 13mg, Potassium: 13mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
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Categorized as:
, Desserts, Holiday Recipes
Hi! I'm Sneji. Nice to meet you!
I am more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna” on social media where I create easy home cooked meals with a modern twist. I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned how to cook at the best culinary school in the world – my grandma’s kitchen. I lived in Greece on the Island of Crete with my parents for a while and then moved to Toronto, Canada when I was in grade 5. I started to really cook and experiment with food 11 years ago when I was 21 years old. Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life…
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