These delectable Italian cookies are traditionally made with bitter almonds otherwise identified as apricot kernels. They impart a slightly bitter flavor which is where the “Amaro” or “bitter” comes from in the name! Since I’ll be turning to almond meal for my primary ingredient, which I promise is equally as delicious, I’d like to propose a slight name variation: “Amoretti cookies” roughly translated as little love cookies! I think we could all use little bites of love right about now.
These little cookies are easy to make and have a very short ingredient list. They can be made with almond meal or for a more refined look, almond flour. I prefer the almond meal version since I think it provides a little “tooth” and I also like knowing I get the nutrition from the almond skin. This way I can also tell myself this is a health cookie you see, but I promise you won’t notice! This cookie can be made completely crunchy or left soft and chewy in the middle, I prefer the latter as the chewiness is extremely satisfying to my palate.
Amaretti Cookies
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 200 g of almond meal or flour (2 cups)
- 200 g of sugar plus more for rolling (¾ cups)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 egg whites save the yolks folks!
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
- In a large bowl whisk together almond meal, sugar and salt. Break up any lumps.
- In a separate medium bowl add egg whites, almond extract and cream of tartar, blend with a hand mixer or whisk until soft peaks form
- Add egg whites to the dry ingredients, mix well until the mixture is hydrated through (it will be dry and crumbly at first, keep mixing)
- With a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop mixture into balls, roll between your palms to round and firm then roll the ball in additional sugar and place on baking sheet
- Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the exterior is crisp but cookie middles are still soft. You may bake longer if you prefer a crunchy cookie.