NOTE: This recipe for Soft Amaretti Cookies has been retested and updated! You can still access the original post below, but you’ll definitely want to check out the update for the newly updated Amaretti morbidi recipe!
No, not morbid cookies, silly! Morbidi meaning “soft” in Italian. And these almond-and-egg-white cookies are just that: soft. Nothing like the crunchy little cookies we typically think of as amaretti.
I first encountered these cookies two and half years ago in Italy, where Nellie, a close family friend and Italian cooking mentor, brought a bag from her hometown outside of Genoa.
It was all I could do to not eat that entire bag.
We spent the rest of our two-week trip in Italy searching for more of these incredible cookies to take home with us, but it turns out they are almost as hard to find in Italy as the recipe was once we got home.
I knew, just from what Nellie told me, that they were little more than finely ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. After a few semi-failed attempts (I say semi-failed because the results were still delicious), I finally got the recipe to a point where it was pretty darn close to what I remember. Although they look a little different, the texture is spot on: chewy on the outside, soft and almost marzipan-like on the inside.
I’m sure I’ll continue to tweak the recipe, playing with various stages of beaten egg whites and the proportions of ingredients. In my research I’ve seen versions that use egg yolks, more/less/no flour, even some adding things like potato starch and baking powder. I found the small amount of flour added to the softness of the cookie; without it and they were much chewier. Is this the traditional way? No, probably not, but the traditional way also uses actual bitter almonds or apricot kernals, something that I’m not even sure is available or legal to purchase in the US (Some say that signature almond flavor is actually from trace amounts of cyanide present in the nuts.)
Traditional or not, I’ll take these as a suitable substitute until I can find my way back to Italy to continue my search. Sooner rather than later, I hope!
Amaretti Morbidi (Soft Amaretti Cookies)
Ingredients:
- 200 grams almond flour or very finely ground almonds
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg whites (about 60 grams)
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- confectioners’ sugar, as needed
Directions:
- In a large bowl, sift together almond flour, sugar, and flour.
- In a bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are foamy and fall into soft mounds (not quite soft peaks). Whisk in almond extract. Add to bowl with dry ingredients and stir until it comes together, kneading with your hands if necessary until it forms a sticky dough.
- Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar, scoop out pieces of dough (a small cookie scoop works perfectly) and roll into 1-inch balls. Arrange on parchment or silicon-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch of space between cookies.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, letting cookies sit out and dry in the meantime for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- When oven is preheated, bake cookies for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep, sealed in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
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The result was great. Whole family loved the cookies. Just to mention: I love to cook, but these were my first cookies.
Do you think that it would be possible to add a little lemon zest?
That amaretti morbidi cookies absolutely something new for me! Looks yummy! Can I pin this post on my Pinterest board? My followers will love it. Thx for sharing recipe, I definitely add it to my cookbook!
Mine turned out flat! Can you tell me what I did wrong? They taste good, like marzipan.
Too much egg white probably. You only want to add enough to form a dough; depending on the size of your eggs you may not need the full 2 whites.
Luckily they still taste good even when flat ;)
Legit speechless, that amaretti morbidi cookies recipe looks unreal! Definitely, I will make it on the weekend for my friends.
As a side note, no one needs to be intimidated by a scale. I bought one several years ago on Amazon. Very easy to use. If a 60+ lady can do it, anyone can!
I cannot wait to try these out! Already have all the ingredients in my kitchen.
Been looking for a soft almond cookie to put out on the tray for the Holidays. I usually start making and freezing dough early as most are sent as gifts.
Can you translate grams into cups? Please and thank you!
This is one recipe where you really need to weigh the ingredients, which is why I haven’t put cup measurements. A kitchen scale is an invaluable tool!
I made the cookies they tasted great but did not look right they did not crack
These cookies are greatly affected by the amount of egg white. It’s likely you just had a little bit more or less than mine, which is why they look different. But they should taste great regardless!
i will be making them tomorrow for my coffee during the week and to give some to my family. Will tell you how they turned out.
It sounds lovely, I will do it tomorrow and let you know how they turned out.
I haven’t made this recipe yet, I just found it! And I’m glad I did… Reading through the recipe, It occurred to me that adding finely-crumbled almond paste might enhance the almond flavor and give you the texture that you want. Of course, it would be necessary to find a gluten-free almond paste or make your own to make sure this cookie remains gluten-free. I truly believe it would be worth the effort.
Fantastic amaretti morbidi cookies. They looked soooo good, I had to try and make them. I used your suggestion and used 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
Didn’t look like the picture but delicious.
So, mine flattened out… did I overbeat the eggwhites?
Also I think the egg whites were good until I put the almond extract in…
I ground my almonds but whisked until no clumps and dry..
Weighed ingredients…
Any ideas? because I love ideas for egg whites besides breakfast…
Thanks for the recipe…
Too much egg white most likely! If you try it again just add enough egg white so it comes together, you might not need the full 2 whites for this to happen (eggs vary so much in size it’s hard to be consistent here).
How many cups are in 200 grams?
This is a recipe where you really need to weigh the ingredients. Cups/volume is not always reliable or consistent.
Can I substitute amoretto liquor for the almond?
Almond extract has a much more concentrated almond flavor. 1/2 teaspoon of amaretto won’t add much in terms of flavor. That said, the substitution won’t affect the overall outcome of the cookie other than the flavor.
Delicious! They didn’t last long !!
Wonderful recipe, Linsay. I finally got to make this amaretti morbidi cookies this past weekend and it was such a hit!! Have a great weekend. Thx for sharing!
This is the best amaretti recipe! I tried 2 different recipes before stumbling across yours and finally made the perfect biscuits, they are excellent. Thank you!
Total flop. They spread instead of rising? Not sure what I did wrong.
Can you share the recipe so it is not in grams ? I’m not that smart !
Absolutely delicious and very easy to make – just follow the recipe very carefully. The total weight of the two egg whites should be about 80 gms. I used half caster sugar and half icing (confectioners sugar). All purpose flour is plain flour (UK). Made them for a lunch party today and they all disappeared. Have tried other recipes in the past but this was the best.
These seem to be a slightly sweeter version of the Greek almond cookies, Amygdalota. I like this recipe because it makes a smaller batch size and sometimes I want more sugar.
Made these today but had to tweak it significantly due to lack of ingredients. I was trying to make use of left over egg whites from another recipe and did a search for egg-white recipes. These came out great and everyone loves them! Here’s the tweaks in case you or anybody wants them
1. Ground 1 cup of almonds in the food processor.
2. 1 cup of sugar
3. Two tablespoons of flour and also used flour for rolling the cookies into balls (I didn’t have powdered sugar)
4. 6 egg whites (here’s where it gets tricky… I whipped them just like it said to in the recipe, but ended up using only about half (so maybe 3-4 eggs) This made the dough sticky and spread out a lot)
5. Cinnamon to taste
4. Vanilla extract (I didn’t have almond extract)
I followed the recipe for the most part. Baked the cookies at 350…. I’m not sure for how long, I just kept checking them until they seemed done….not golden or anything, but just firm enough.
Due to the extra egg whites, the cookies spread flat, but were a great flavor and nice and chewy. I also made the mistake of using foil and not flouring or greasing the bottom. This made the cookies stick, but was able to scrape them up.
So all in all, the cookies came out delicious and chewy, but the alterations caused them to be not so aesthetic. :-)
Mine were very tasty but very flat? Any suggestions as to why?
This recipe is stupendous!!!! Consistently delicious, we now bake them regularly! We use them with a generous glug of amaretto liquour in trifle as a substitute for yukky processed sponge fingers! Also crumble a little on the top too!!! Many many thanks for recipie!
I am sorry, but this does not last for 3 days in a container.
When I look again, it disappeared!
Thank you so much .It took me 4 weeks to get down to making them and when Idid they are so quick and easy to make especially as I had all the ingredients. Also it saves trying to find anItalian shop in London that sells them. Home made is best.It will be a regular recipe for me
I made these tonight, baked at 300 for 22-25 minutes and inside is really gooey & soft, almost raw. Tops cracked and bottoms golden but still very raw looking in middle. They taste delicious but just worried about raw middles & food safety. Any feedback?
These cookies are supposed to be softer on the inside, almost like the texture of marzipan. They are very unlike typical cookies you may be used to in that way. And after 20+ minutes in the oven they are most certainly cooked through. :)
These!!!! I’ve looking for this recipe for ages! I found a bakery here that makes them, but they closed! This is their recipe! I’m so excited!!!! Thank you!
This is a great recipe for soft amaretti cookies. I used 1 Tablespoon of Amaretto instead of almond flavor because I prefer it but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. For grams to cups conversion on the almond flour – 200 grams is equal to 2 cups plus a few tablespoons. 200 grams of sugar is equal to 1 cup. After these cookies cooled i put two together (bottoms touching) and wrapped them in cut pieces of waxed paper twisting the ends so they looked cute – similar to the way they come packaged at a nice market. Then I put the wrapped cookies in a zip lock back. I think this is going to be a new christmastime tradition for me. :)
The almond flour, is it with skin or blanched almonds?
Thank you!
Mine was blanched and very fine. You could use skin on but the cookies would be darker and somewhat speckled.
Hi. Thank you for the recipe. They are delicious. Mine look OK … but not cracked on top like yours. Any suggestions???
Oh! I’ve been looking for this recipe. You can buy the amaretti morbidi in the French-speaking part of Switzerland pretty easily in their supermarkets, but they’re expensive. I’ve looked everywhere for them, and the amaretti morbidi or amaretti di sassello come from the northern part of Italy in Liguria (Sassello in the province of Sassello — see I love these cookies so much that I’m getting a PhD in their history lol). Anyway, yours look great, and I plan to try the recipe (hope they don’t get too flat.) The company that makes my favorites (and with the prettiest tins ever!) is called Virginia, so if someone wants to eat and compare the recipe, you can buy it online (Virginia Amaretti, pick the tradizionali)
Ahh, Savona in the province of Sassello :)
Hi, these sound wonderful. Can they be frozen?
Thank you.
I’ve never done it personally but I don’t see why not!
These look so beautiful, I would love to try these out! Would you mind if I wrote about them on my blog after I make them? – I will definitely link my readers to your blog and won’t steal your recipe! :) I love your photos too, keep going!
Hi! I’ve made these four times. The first 2 times they came out perfect! Absolutely amazing! Thanks for that recipe BTW!
But the last 2 times they spread out and turned out flat. What did I do wrong? Help!
Hard to say – could be you added more egg white than was needed (larger eggs, perhaps?) You could try just adding the white a little bit at a time until the dough comes together, and no more.
I made these for the first time today. They’re not pretty, but they taste really good. It may be because I used corn starch instead of the regular flour. I will be making these again, thank you
Amanda, look for gluten-free all purpose flour that is cup-for-cup in your area, that way you can use flour as the recipe says and still stay gluten free! King Arthur Flour makes GF flour, and you can buy it on their website if you can’t find it locally. Make sure to get their Measure for Measure GF flour. If you get the other one, you need to add xanthan gum so it performs the way you want.
I had seen this on pintrest. I had just bought all of the ingredients for it. Im super excited to make these later!! Im making them for my niece’s project…shes sharing them with 35-40students. thanks for sharing this recipe!
My sister celebrated her 21st birthday this weekend and these were one of her requests for the buffet table. We’re smitten with the recipe – thank you so much!
Recently made these cookies, and they are delicious! They are very soft and gooey in the middle an my whole family enjoyed them! Thanks for the recipe!
Great blog! Nice design. My friend came back from Italy last week with some amaretti morbidi and I thought quietly to myself “ewwwwww, cookies of death!!” Well, now you put me straight. I am going to bookmark this page and make them for X’mas. Thanks!
Hi all,
I stumbled upon this recipe and I just would like to add a little comment.
I am originally from Tunisia (in North Africa) and our traditional patisserie is just some variations of the soft amretti adding most kinds of nuts. Try adding rose water to the recipe by using one egg white and the rest of the liquid rose water and substitute caster or granulated sugar with icing sugar for a better texture (no flour) also, you don`t have to measure things, do it to the taste and by kneading the mixture and adjusting the quantities by adding more liquide or more mixture of sugar and almond flour you`ll get there easily.
Thank you for the recipe and all the Best.
Just made these this weekend, but used 75g of sugar instead– still very sweet (but yummy). Will try reducing to 40g next time or even less! (and maybe adding a little glaze/half dipped in nutella shell if not sweet enough ;) Thanks for a killer recipe!
Just made these, but instead of the flour, I substituted a gluten free baking mix and a pinch of Xantham gum. Fantastic. Just the thing to go with my tea or espresso!
I just made these today and they are very yummy! I used my Vitamix for the egg white blending and I used my cookie scoop to make it easy! Cute little cookies with lots of almond goodness! Thank you for sharing!
Friends went crazyyyyy over these! I used Trader Joe’s almond meal which is just finely ground almonds. Cookies were medium brown in color because almond meal has the skins from almonds. I will try next time grinding blanched almonds into flour or just buy almond flour. SOOO DELICIOUS! And EASY! Thank you Lindsay!
Have made these a couple or Times and they are so simple to make but so delicious! I too had been searching for soft almond biscuits in UK to buy but can only ever find the rock hard ones which are nowhere near as nice. Thanks for posting the recipe
Happiness is finding a spot-on recipe for a cookie you have been craving for almost 10 years. Well done.
Bought some recently in Lidl.
I managed to find a scale! I made these for a cookie party and I’m very excited with the outcome, they look great! Sweeter than I expected, but so chewy good! Thank you for the recipe Lindsay! :3
I’m excited to try this recipe, but converting it is such a hassle- I don’t have a scale.
I wish conversions were included here.
Roughly, 200g of sugar is about 7/8 cup and 200g of almond flour is about 1 cup. However I will say there is no truly accurate conversion for weight, which is why I didn’t write the recipe that way, and I can’t promise it’ll work if you don’t weigh the ingredients. Things like flour measurements can vary greatly depending on how it is scooped, for example. A kitchen scale is an invaluable tool in this case, one of the most utilized items in our kitchen, for sure.
Good luck!
These look delicious, and sound like cookies I ate growing up in Boston. We called them macaroons and since I come from an Italian family, they were on the table all the time. They are sold by the pound in the Italian bakeries in the city and in the suburbs as well, though I live in Los Angeles now and haven’t seen one here — ever. Anyway here is a famous bakery in the North End (Italian section of Boston) that will mail them to you. In the bakeries they sell them with a maraschino cherry on top, slivered almonds, pignoli, or pistachios on top. (My mom sends them to me but they simply don’t hold up well over days unless packaged really well.)
Hi–Thanks for the recipe. I am, too, a big fan of amaretti. I get them when I visit relatives in the Lazio province of Italy. (There’s a store that pretty much sells only amaretti–some dipped in chocolate.) When I was there 2 years ago, I bought a few vials of the bitter almond essence in a small-town grocery store. If you want, I’ll send you a picture of the packaging, and perhaps your Italian friend can seek it out and send you some. I don’t think it’s illegal; I, too, was concerned about the “poisonous” aspect and used just a drop or two when I made my amaretti. (By the way, I’ve been making my own Nutella. Have you tried to do that?)
Oh my, they so light, fluffy, chewy and delicate! What more could one ask from a little cookie… I obsoletely love them! Thank you for sharing it with us. I had one of these little morsel at a coffee shop and been searching online how to make it ever since. Now I am fulfilled! Many thanks!
p.s. I love the almond flavour, however, my kids are not so keen. So I made them a bunch with vanilla flavoured ones and save the almond ones for my secret stash… :)
I made these on Saturday and they were delicious! I thought they tasted best 10 minutes out of the oven but our company loved them even hours later after they had cooled. I baked them for 20 or 21 minutes this time and would probably cut it down to 17 or 18 next time so the bottoms wouldn’t be as golden. Just a note if you are making these, the almond flour is very expensive (this is the first time I have purchased it) and it was $13.99 for a 16 oz bag so these are not cheap cookies to make.
We have an italian bakery nearby that makes a very similar cookie and I had always wanted to find a copycat recipe and this is the closest so thanks for sharing! :)
I just made these and they were SO good! Thank you so much for the recipe! The only thing I had trouble with was getting the egg whites to soft mound. How long should this take and do you have any tips? The cookies turned out amazing anyway though! One of my best pinterest finds to date!
These look delicious. I love small bite size cookies. I can’t wait to make these. They will probably make it into my gigantic Christmas cookie batch!
Thank you for this recipe. I eat these in Italy, but have never made them. I will be making these very soon!
Something about these is just so adorable! I love this recipe :)
My mom’s family is Italian and these look like something they’d serve!
Beautiful!!
Thanks for this recipe! Can you recommend a scale??
Yes! I can’t say enough good things about this one: http://amzn.to/112mB2o
Almond and Chewy.. All i needed to know about these cookies :) Yum! I cannot wait to try!!! Thanks for sharing!
xo
Ha ha, I totally read it as morbid as well. The cookies look so great, I love amaretti.
I am obsessed with amaretti cookies! Obsessed is actually an understatement as I crave them ALL the time!
These are absolutely yummy. Made them this weekend, then carried them around in my bag, offering them to everyone I met – saving me from eating them ALL.
You are a stronger person than I am. :)
Thank you for putting a name to these! I had these in Italy a bunch of years ago and I had no idea what they were called (make googling much harder).
They look fabulous.
I only know because I saved one of the wrappers… from 3 years ago. Didn’t bring any cookies home with me but I brought a wrapper! haha.
Can you convert grams to US measurement.
It is *about* 1 cup sugar and 2 cups almond flour, but especially the almond flour can vary greatly depending on how finely they are ground. I’d highly recommend getting a simple kitchen scale for baking projects like this one where accuracy is key to a successful outcome.
So lovely!! Good thing I don’t have to go all the way to Italy to try them, though I wouldnt mind that – but I’ll take these in a heart beat!!
I used to have these when I went to Italy and havent had them for months! I need them back in my life! Must make now!
I use bitter almond oil to make marzipan and it does make a huge difference in flavor, I will probably try to add some to that recipe when making it, thank you for pointing it out and the wonderful recipe!!!
Where did you find it? Curious, as I’ve only seen or used almond extract. Wonder how it compares.
I had relatives bring some from Germany… But I found some, Google bittermandel, I have never tried that store, but this is what I use ( http://www.germanshop24.com/products/German-Food/Baking-Ingredients/Dr-Oetker-Bitter-Almond-Flavor.html ) Otherwise amazon sells some bitter almonds but I would use those cautiously (one at a time) as they do contain cyanide, in Germany they can only be found in pharmacies :).
It gives such a depth in flavor in marzipan in my opinion, it balances with the sweetness. I hope this helps!
I love little amaretti cookies – yours look pretty authentic and super delicious.
Yummy! love the amaretti. In our blog we published a cake recipe with amaretti: very good! :D
Take care
Jess
The above recipe sounds really good. I signed up for your newsletter too. Just stopped in to say Hello from The Country Cook, Brandi’s Giveaway! thanks
When we lived in Taiwan there was a stall near the exit of our neighborhood supermarket that sold almond milk. It was wonderful to inhale the scent of almonds on our way up the strange flat escalator. Then my husband told me that gangrenous limbs smell of almonds. Oh dear. I try to block it out and enjoy almond cookies anyway. I’m excited to try a soft version. These look great.
So fluffy!! I love Italian cookies. So dainty and light :)
They sound like the Italian cousin of a macaron!
That’s a perfect way to describe them. :) MUCH easier to make too!
Yum! I love almond anything! I can’t believe a soft version even exists. I am so excited to try these!
these look divine!
I love cookies and these ones look delicious. Thanks for sharing
These looks so fluffy and perfect !
I love amaretti, but have never had soft ones. I am totally trying this very, very soon. Yum!
These sound so lovely! I would love this paired with a cup of coffee :)
They look delicious! And I am glad that you’re trying for us so hard :)
These cookies sound so good! Must try very soon. :)
These look wonderful. They look light and fluffy!
They look incredible! So puffy, fluffy and light! I am dying not being able to jump up and make these right now! If I were in my own house, trust me I would!
I don’t know about the USA, but in Vancouver, Canada, I’ve seen apricot kernels stocked in pretty much all the Asian markets – always been meaning to buy them and try my own soft amaretti, but have never quite gotten around to it!
Really? Interesting! I’ll have to pay closer attention next time I’m at one of those places.
The cyanide makes them literally morbid cookies ;)
But I’m sure yours are just as fab without the death.
This makes me want to try them out!! I love a good cookie challenge
*chuckle*
Literally. haha.
These look great, but I get so frustrated when recipes don’t list volume (cups, etc.) and just give mass measurements. Not how I cook!
For most recipes, I agree, but in some cases accuracy really does matter and a kitchen scale is truly worth it’s weight in gold (or almond flour. haha). Finely ground almonds/almond flour can vary so much in terms of how finely it is ground, that weight is really the only way to measure it. 200 grams is going to give you about 2 cups of it, although my almond flour was very fine and I feel like it was much less than that.
Sugar on the other hand is only 1 cup per 200 grams. Cups are deceiving in that sense.
I agree with Jodi. I do not use recipes that are written with grams. I prefer measurments such as cups, teaspoon, etc. Thank you.
So cute and pillowy!!
mm, these look amazing!
xx
Such a sweet, soft little itty bitty Italian cookie! Love everything almond…marzipan, etc. Hats off to you, Lindsay, for trying to replicate just exactly what you tasted in Italy…Bravo!
These sounds so lovely!
I like a soft cookie, too. My girlfriend makes something similar using marzipan. Love the sound of these little pillows.
These look so delicious Lindsay!! I love almond anything but do find that traditional amaretti a little too crunchy for my soft cookie loving heart. I’m so glad this option is out there now!!
These look fantastic!! Something new to bring to the table, rather than the unoriginal (but delicious!) chocolate chip cookie. Thanks for sharing! xoxo
What a gorgeous Italian cookie! These look so pillowy soft and perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea. Great recipe, Lindsay!
they look so good, but why did mine come out flat? Help!
Love the sound of these and they’re way too cute! PS totally need to just hire you to make me some new backgrounds cuz yours always turn out so great!
They look like the puffy version of Lofthouse sugar cookies. Sort of cakey and pillowey soft, and very addicting. Like you have one, and it went down in a big, easy, puffy gulp…and you want another! Have no idea if that’s how they taste or are but they look like it :) They’re gorgeous! And I love the purple! And the almond extract that lofthouse’s don’t have, I would love that addition!
Thank you for letting me try one this weekend. I adored it and I’m so glad you posted this recipe soon after :) it’s the perfect little almond bite! Not too strong and not too little. I will have to make these now!