Easy Italian almond cookies recipe - soft amaretti - The Hungry Bites (2024)

Being on the list with our best Mediterranean recipes, these soft amaretti cookies (or amaretti morbidi) are truly incredible. Featuring crispy edges and chewy, marzipan-like interior, they're much better than the crispy amaretti version.

In Italy they're often called "paste di mandorla" which roughly translates to almond paste cookies. Their snowy appearance (due to being rolled in powdered sugar before baking) makes them the perfect Christmas cookies!

If you love Italian desserts, I have a feeling that you'll also want to make this easy jam tart recipe (Italian crostata di marmellata) with olive oil. And if you prefer baking cookies instead, make sure to try these 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies (also gluten free) and these simple vegan almond biscotti.

😍 Why I love this recipe

✓ Quick, easy and simple: With just a few ingredients and 4 easy steps you can have these traditional Italian cookies ready in just 40 minutes.

✓ Delicious: No one can resist to their flavor and chewy texture!

✓ Gluten free and dairy free

✓ Versatile: You can make different flavors of these chewy amaretti (like matcha-lime or coffee-hazelnut), you can add a maraschino cherry on top, or omit the icing sugar and roll them in flaked almonds.

📋 Ingredients

To make these Italian almond cookies you'll need the following ingredients:

Egg whites. They should be at room temperature because they will whip up faster.

Almond flour. Also known as almond meal, it will give the cookies the traditional texture. You can also use blanched ground almonds (grind them in your food processor or a heavy duty blender, but stop before they turn into paste, otherwise you'll end up with homemade almond butter instead).

This recipe for homemade almond flour by foolproofliving provides all the needed details.

White sugar. Caster or granulated sugar will do. Don't use another type of sweetener because it will alter the taste or the texture of the cookies.

Icing sugar. Also known as powdered sugar. This is used for rolling the cookies before baking.

Almond extract. Made from bitter almonds, it gives gives the cookies their signature flavor (which makes them irresistible!).

🥣 Variations

For this recipe I thought it would be useful to show you two different flavors even though the almond flavor of the traditional amaretti is my favorite one.

Matchaand lime (or lemon): A combination of matcha tea and lime zest is a refreshing variation. Matcha is not a traditional Italian ingredient but it gives a beautiful color to the interior of the amaretti. Instead of lime zest, you can also use lemon or orange zest. In fact, almond orange cookies (often called ricciarelli) are very loved in Italy.

Hazelnut - Coffee: I have tested this recipe with ground hazelnuts and a bit of coffee because coffee flavor pairs very well with the taste of hazelnuts. I used freshly brewed espresso, so more ground hazelnuts were required to compensate for the added moisture.

Other interesting variations:

With cherry on top. You can make another popular variation of these cookies by omitting the powdered sugar and placing a Maraschino cherry on top. Or you can place the cherries inside the cookies like a filling. These Italian cherry cookies can also be made with amarena cherries (a type of small, sour and dark colored Italian cherry).

Almond crescent cookies. Sicilian almond paste cookies can also be shaped like small crescents (however, this shape is more commonly used for Italian shortbread almond cookies). If you want to further differrentiate them, you can roll them in flaked almonds (instead of powdered sugar) before baking.

🔪 Instructions

Follow this easy step by step guide to make the best soft amaretti cookies every time.

Step 1: Transfer the egg whites and the salt to the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on high until soft peaks form (you can also do that by hand, using a whisk).

Step 2: Add the almond extract and the vanilla and mix well. Smell the mixture and if the almond flavor seems too weak, add some more almond extract.

Step 3: Add the sugar and the almond flour and mix well with a spatula until a dough is formed. It may be a little sticky but that's normal.

Step 4: Transfer some icing sugar to a shallow plate. Take heaped tablespoons of dough the size of a small walnut (about 25 grams / 0.88 oz). Shape the cookies into small balls by rolling them between your hands. Transfer the balls to the icing sugar and roll them to coat well.

Step 5: Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press them gently to flatten them a bit (you can do this by hand or use the back of a cup). Bake for 22-25 minutes.

🎥Recipe Video

Easy Italian almond cookies recipe - soft amaretti

Makos

Attention all bakers! You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make these delicious Italian almond cookies (soft amaretti). The recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and is made in 3 different flavors. Also known as ricciarelli or Italian macaroons, these cookiesare gluten free and perfect for the holidays, especially Christmas.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 49mgPotassium: 8mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg