Love and Olive Oil
Raspberry Amaretti Cookies

Raspberry Amaretti Cookies

My favorite soft amaretti cookies get a bright and fruity twist with the addition of freeze-dried raspberries.

Almond and raspberry make for a perfect pairing, these luscious little cookies are proof of that. The punch of vibrant raspberry flavor comes from ground up freeze-dried raspberries, which offer an intense flavor without adding any extra moisture.

Raspberry Amaretti Cookies

In follow up to last week’s soft amaretti cookie recipe, I thought I’d offer up this unique variation: raspberry amaretti!

It’s basically the exact same recipe with the addition of ground up freeze-dried raspberries.

But that one little change makes a huge difference. I honestly can’t decide if I love the originals better or this bright and fruity variation (I’ll have one of each, please… don’t make me decide).

In fact, these turned out so well I’m tempted to try more variations. Blueberry, maybe? Or what about a chocolate version? Maybe I’ll work on that one for next year!

Soft Amaretti Cookies with Freeze-dried raspberry

Sure, they look a little bit like smoldering meteors from mars (or ready to hatch dinosaur eggs), but taste a heck of a lot better (I assume, I’ve never actually tasted a smoldering meteor).

Here's a fun flavor variation on your favorite soft Amaretti cookies, now with raspberry!

The rich burgundy color will soften when baking (the longer you bake them the less red they will be), but you can add a drop or two of red or pink food coloring if you want a more intense color.

I also found that the cookies look better with a nice thick layer of powdered sugar (vs the original amaretti which just need a light coating). The bold red really shows through the cracks!

Raspberry Amaretti Cookie Recipe

I will emphasize that freeze-dried raspberries are necessary here. Not dried or fresh or frozen (which would add far too much moisture and result in a wildly different cookie.)

You can buy freeze-dried raspberries (I like the ones at Trader Joe’s) and grind them up yourself in a clean spice grinder. You can also buy pre-ground raspberry powder which will work here as well. You’ll need about 1 ounce of raspberries or 1/4 cup of powder for one batch of these cookies.

Also, if you happen to have freeze dried blueberries or strawberries, they’ll work here too!

Want to see how these amazing little cookies are made (along with the original, chocolate and matcha variations)? Check out the video:

 

Raspberry Amaretti Cookies

Raspberry Amaretti Cookies

Soft, chewy almond cookies with a punch of bright raspberry flavor (thanks to the addition of freeze-dried raspberries!)

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups (200g) almond flour or very finely ground almonds, sifted
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ounce freeze-dried raspberries, very finely ground (about 1/4 cup of ground raspberry powder)
  • pinch salt
  • 2 large egg whites (about 60 grams)
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • confectioners’ sugar, as needed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Stack two matching, heavyweight, light to medium colored cookie sheets one inside the other (stacking two cookie sheets together keeps the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown). Line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Finely grind freeze dried raspberries in a food processor or spice grinder until finely ground powder.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sugar, salt and freeze dried raspberries until evenly incorporated.
  4. In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and lemon juice until they hold soft peaks.
  5. Add beaten egg whites and almond extract to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary. No need to be gentle here, we’re not making macarons. ;)
  6. Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Arrange on parchment or silicon-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch of space between cookies.
  7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden (if you are NOT using doubled cookie sheets your cookies will brown much quicker, and will likely only need 25 minutes, so watch them closely). If you prefer crunchier cookies you can give them an extra 5 minutes or so or until the tops begin to brown too. Remove from oven; let cool a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  8. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days.
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28 Comments

  1. I used freeze dried strawberries that I found at Stop and Shop- so pretty! I’m going to try the matcha, too. Great for a cookie exchange!

  2. Rating: 5

    I have made these several times and I love them! I decided to use cinnamon today instead of dried raspberries. They taste amazing! I used 2 tsp of cinnamon. Either way, delish! Thanks for an awesome recipe.

  3. Rating: 5

    So yummy! Also love being able to share with my friends that have food allergies. Tried with raspberry powder, combination of raspberry and cocoa, and cocoa powder… Cannot decide which is best so keep having to make more! :-P

  4. Rating: 5

    These are super delicious. Made them with dehydrated strawberries.. Strong flavor, chewy inside. Delicious. I’ll be making more of these. My medium scoop worked perfectly. Baked for 31 minutes on my double insulated cookie sheet. Perfection.Many thanks for the inspiration.

  5. I was surprised that the raspberry powder was added to the dry ingredients without removing any alm9nd flour or increasing the moist ingredients. Did you try decreasing the flour by 1/4 cup to keep the dry to wet ratio more on par? I wondered if this would increase or decrease the spread of the finished cookie, as the original (I’ve been making for years now) has more of a spread and vivid “cracked” appearance. ;) I LOVE your original recipe and am beyond excited to try this one!

  6. Thank you for the lovely recipes. I had made the almond and the chocolate ones and loves them both. Today I made these with strawberry and instead of the almond extract I added a touch of lemon extract for a touch of brightness. I can taste all the flavours in an explosion in my mouth that almost reminds me of cotton candy! Totally will make these again

  7. These are so perfect and so versatile!  Love them! 

  8. The powdered sugar on my cookies totally melted into the cookie. Would it work to roll in powdered sugar after they are baked? I also substituted the sugars for monk fruit sweetener granulated and powdered for a sugar free version. The taste was still very good.

    • I’ve found different kinds/brands of powdered sugar behave differently. I have never done this with sugar replacements so my guess is that is the issue here. I have the best luck with conventional powdered sugar; even organic has different starches and tends to melt in the cookie more.

  9. Hi Lindsay!

    First, let me say that these are AMAZING!

    Have you tried making a double batch? And baking two pans in the oven at once? Figured I’d ask before I try it. 

    Thanks!

  10. Puedo conservar las galletas en el Freezer o refrigerador?
    Podría la mezcla conservarla en Freezer o refrigerador antes de usarla?
    Cto tiempo se conservaría?

    • The unbaked balls of dough can be frozen for a few months at least. After baking they can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days (they’re still ok to eat after that, but they tend to dry out).

  11. Wow! These looked amazing on your recipe and I tried it out today, they smell amazing and taste devine. Perfect!!

  12. Mine turned brown. I even bought the trader Joes freeze dried raspberries. The powdered sugar also absorbed and they were rolled and put straight to the oven, left in for exactly 30 minutes. they taste good just unfortunate I wanted to make them mainly because if the color.

    • Try baking them a little bit less, the raspberry color will definitely brown if left in too long. You could also add a bit of food coloring to augment the natural color too.

  13. First batch crinkled just as they usually do, the second batch not at all.  Tasted right, but no crinkles—and the powdered sugar absorbed much more into the cookie.  Any idea why? There must be a problem over time, perhaps I should have refrigerated the dough that wasn’t going straight into the oven?

    • How long did the first batch sit for? Had they already been shaped/rolled in sugar when they sat (the sugar definitely dissipates over time).
      I typically fit a full 26-cookie batch on one cookie sheet, so they don’t often sit around that long, but this is not an issue I’ve experienced.

  14. I couldnt find freeze dried raspberries, but freeze dried cranberries were available. They worked fine – a bit tart, and the exterior/interior turned more brown than red, but the taste is very nice (I didn’t use food coloring). Thank you for sharing the recipe!

  15. Does the pinch of salt go in with the dry ingredients? It was left off the directions. Thanks. 

  16. Can these be frozen?

  17. These were delicious, but we didn’t get the pretty red color. They turned brown. What went wrong? Was the temp too high in my oven or the cooking time too long? Did I need to add food coloring? The taste was wonderful – very raspberry and the texture was right.

    • The raspberries will definitely darken the longer they are baked. I’m also guessing freeze-dried raspberries might vary a bit from brand to brand and even batch to batch, so that could have something to do with it. If you’re wanting a vibrant color you’ll definitely need to add food coloring. :)

  18. Oh. My. Goodness! I just made these and they are simply wonderful. Followed the recipe exactly as written and they turned out perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper indeed.

  19. First – I love you blog, read it all the time, and regularly make your recipes
    Second – these are amazing
    Third – After making the beautiful raspberry ones, I thought “maybe I can make greens ones – how pretty would they be together for Christmas!” Made a batch this AM with match powder replacing the raspberry….OMG. Beautiful and delicious!

    • This makes me so happy to hear! And I think a matcha variation sounds absolutely brilliant (I’ve been toying with a chocolate version myself). Red + green for Christmas, I love it!

  20. I love amaretti cookies! Never thought of making them any other flavor! These look so delicious I simply have to try your recipe soon!

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