Soft amaretti cookies are quite unlike their crispy cousins, so don’t get the two confused. With a chewy exterior and a soft, marzipan-like middle, they’re a treat for almond lovers everywhere.
Amaretti morbidi is what they’re known in Italy, morbidi meaning ‘soft’ in Italian (not morbid, I promise these are anything but). They’re naturally gluten-free, made with little more than almond flour, sugar and egg white with a splash of almond extract to amp up the almond flavor.
This is a recipe originally posted back in 2013, and one of my all-time favorites, based on a cookie I enjoyed during our honeymoon in Italy. Not to be confused with the crunchy amaretti croccanti you buy by the bag (might I suggest making your next pumpkin pie with those?) these soft amaretti are chewy on the outside and almost marzipan-like in the middle. In other words, simply divine.
While the old recipe always got rave reviews, I’d gotten a few comments over the years noting that the cookies spread much more than the photo, and, if you know me, you know that I am very bothered by recipes that don’t behave as they should.
Being that it’s one of my favorite cookie recipes I figured it was time for an update (and while most bloggers would just update the old post, I’m a sentimental sap and want to keep my old photos and words preserved for posterity. Google probably won’t like the fact that I’m publishing this update as an entirely new post, but, whatever.)
So I set out to figure out the mystery of the spreading cookies.
I spent an entire Saturday making batch after batch (I split the recipe into quarter size mini batches, weighing out everything precisely in grams, and noting each changed variable in my recipe notebook).
I tested beating my egg whites to soft peaks and stiff peaks and even tried egg whites than were just barely beaten to a froth. I tested cookies with and without a tiny bit of flour (spoiler: it makes no difference in the final cookie, so I ended up removing it completely from the revised recipe to make them 100% gluten free). I tested cookies baked on a single cookie sheet and stacked cookie sheets and longer bake times and shorter ones. I mostly baked from room temperature dough, but I also tried chilling and even freezing the dough first. With a few small variations (most notably the version I added a bit of baking powder just for kicks), most of my cookies ended up looking virtually identical.
I also tested increasing the quantity of egg white, which is what I suspected as the cause of spreading cookies. I whipped up batches with 60g, 64g, 68g, and 72g of egg whites (a 20% increase!) and popped them in the oven to see what would happen.
Surprisingly, the cookies with 20% more egg whites were a bit softer in the middle, but the cookies themselves weren’t anymore spread out than the control group.
Which really left me baffled.
The one variable that seemed to make the biggest visual difference was actually different brands of almond flour, I assume because the moisture levels can vary so greatly from one brand to another (also how fresh the flour itself is). A cookie made with older/drier almond flour held its shape much more than a fresher flour.
Pictured below, left to right: Old almond flour from my pantry (probably from Costco or Nuts.com), Bob’s Red Mill, and Simple Truth almond flour. Bob’s was my favorite in the end, so the final cookies were all made with that. (Note that I didn’t test making my own almond meal from finely ground almonds, which would, I’m assuming, behave quite differently, as most home food processors simply can’t grind up nuts as finely.)
So, anyway, here I was ready to chalk up readers’ mysterious spreading cookies to a particular brand or home-ground almond flour.
Then I woke up on Sunday to make a full batch of cookies using my final recipe for photos.
And what would you know, they looked completely different. Not entirely spread out, but they are noticeably flatter with larger, rougher cracks. Other than it being Sunday, the recipe was identical to what I had baked the day before. Go figure.
Pictured below, left: cookie baked on Saturday, right: cookie baked on Sunday.
In the end, I actually like the way they look better than the stiffer balls from Saturday, the cracks are more dramatic and, especially with a thicker coating of powdered sugar, really highlight the texture of the cookie. So maybe it was meant to be afterall.
At this point I’m still not firm in my conclusions, but being that the weather on Saturday was cool and drizzly, and on Sunday it was dry and sunny (and much less humid), I suspect that humidity has a noticeable effect on these cookies. Although I would have thought the cookies baked on a humid day would have absorbed more moisture into the dough and spread more as a result, when in reality it seemed to be just the opposite.
Perhaps a drier, more air-filled meringue actually produces more defined cracks and causes more spreading? And on humid days we all know that getting really stiff peaks out of your meringue isn’t an easy task; the resulting softer, wetter meringue makes for less cracks and a firmer ball shape. That’s my current theory, anyway. At this point I have to wait for another humid day to test out if I’m right or not, but for now, I have updated the original recipe to include a speck of lemon juice to help the meringue whip up more stably, even on humid days.
Let me just say that while your cookies might not look identical to mine, maybe they spread more or cracked less or browned more on the bottoms, regardless of what they look like, they will still taste fabulous.
Here’s how to make them:
Beat your egg whites to medium-stiff peaks. The tip should lean ever so slightly, not curl or droop, and not stick straight up like an albumen alfalfa.
In my testing the egg whites that were beaten to stiffer peaks produced more defined cracks and slightly more spreading, but it was really a miniscule difference. Just try not to overbeat them (if they look like dry styrofoam or dish suds, you’ve probably overdone it).
A tiny bit of lemon juice brings up the acidity and helps form a more stable meringue, especially in more humid conditions (a pinch of cream of tartar would work in the same way).
Stir the egg white into the almond flour. You could also pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the egg white and let your stand mixer do the work for you.
Let me just say: you are not making macarons. You’ll be here forever if you try to ‘fold’ in the egg whites. There’s no need to be delicate, smush and stir and smash the heck out of it.
I also found using my hands towards the end really helped bring it all together into a smooth, sticky dough.
Traditional amaretti morbidi (soft amaretti) do use some bitter almond or even ground up apricot kernels (which have a similar intense almond flavor, believe it or not). Since bitter almond flour is pretty much impossible to find here in the States, I used a little almond extract instead to help amp up the almond flavor in its place. But by all means, if you have access to bitter almond flour, use it! 20g or so should do you just fine.
You can reduce the sugar in these cookies by about 25g or so (so use 175g instead of 200g) for a slightly less-sweet cookie. Reducing the sugar any more than that will result in a cookie that’s not as soft and chewy and doesn’t spread/crack as much, so I don’t recommend it.
Want to see how these delightful little cookies are made (along with the chocolate, matcha and raspberry variations)? Check out the video:
With a chewy crystalized crust, crunchy browned bottoms, and a soft, marzipan-like center, these cookies are the ultimate almond cookie. Not to mention they are incredibly easy to prepare and ever so satisfying. They keep well and stay soft for days, making them perfect for make-ahead holiday parties and cookie gifts shipped across the country.
Soft Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups / 200 g almond flour or very finely ground almonds , sifted
- 1 cup / 200 g granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 large / 60 g egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- confectioners’ sugar, as needed
Instructions
- 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.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sugar and salt until evenly incorporated.
- 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.
- 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. ;)
- 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.
- 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.
- Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days.
These cookies are awesome! Made these for Christmas and they were gone in a flash!
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract is not enough. Everything turned out well except the taste. I remember these cookies from the bakery having a profound almond flavor you could barely taste the almond. I’ll try this again with at least a teaspoon of almond extract.
Careful, almond extract is VERY strong and tends to intensify the sweetness. 1 teaspoon would make these cookies sickeningly sweet. Maybe check your almond flour, perhaps you were using older product where the taste was not as prominent.
Just made these fornthe first time and won most creative at my annual cookie swap. The taste and texture are fantastic. I did them red and green using gel food colors and it looked great peeking through the sugar. Many requests for the recipe!
These are absolutely amazing and I’ve made them for Christmas the last two years in a row. Currently baking a triple batch for this year. The recipe doubles + triples so easily and it’s easy to add the different freeze dried fruit powders for different colours and flavours. We LOVE them
I selected this recipe for our annual cookie swap at work. Made a batch this morning and they came out amazing.
Have a double batch in the oven now. Thanks for the great recipe
Hi
I’ve made these using caster sugar rather than granulated and find the finer sugar helps as it does when making sponges etc. If you can’t get caster sugar, put your regular sugar in the coffee grinder for 10 seconds and voila! It may help…
These look amazing! I love the different flavor options. I’m going to make these for our Xmas eve party since we are doing an Italian-themed feast this year. I ‘d love to make a pistachio flavor too. Would subbing the almond flour with pistachio for one of the flavors work, or does the nut flour need to be pretty finely ground? Could you recommend any other Italian desserts as well? Thanks!
I’ve got you covered: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2019/09/pistachio-amaretti-cookies.html
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!! Made them and turned out incredible!!!
I made these last year and they were wonderful. They were so good we decided to make more and when we went to the store we couldn’t find the almond flour so we decided to experiment with hazelnut flour……OMG….so good! A little drizzle of Nutella on top and they were out of this world.
I’ve made a version with pistachio flour that’s divine, so I can imagine hazelnut flour would be great too! So glad you enjoyed! :)
These turned out beautifully and didn’t last long! Thanks for sharing!
These are absolutely incredible. I have received many compliments on these, with many people asking for the recipe. I wanted to make a Christmas version and dye these red and green. Would it be possible to add in a liquid food coloring? If so, could I add it to the almond flour or to the egg whites? I feel like it would turn out splotchy if adding a liquid pigment to the almond flour. I could add a powder, but I haven’t found any naturally-pigmented versions.
I’d mix it in when you mix the egg white to the almond. You can’t really over mix it so I think the color will be fine! That said, have you seen my raspberry and matcha versions? They’re naturally red and green! ;)
These turned out well and are quite sweet. Good thing they’re small :-). Thanks for sharing!
I have never made Amaretti Cookies before but after reading many recipes I decided to give this recipe a try and I’m glad I did! They had the crystallized crust marzipan chewy center and they rose perfectly as pictured. I used your suggestion of double pan (even went to the store to get new cookie pans to make sure they matched), I used Bobs Red Mill Almond Flour (sifted) as instructed and I measured and weighed the egg whites which my two egg whites did weigh exactly 60g I wanted to sure I would achieve the proper “rise” . needless to say I followed the directions and your extra notes and they turned out perfectly!!! will definitely make these again and I’m going to try the chocolate ones next. Thanks for a great recipe!
I was wondering how if these cookies freeze well?
Hi! First, thank you for all the detailed instructions! I broke my rule & made this the day of a party & everyone LOVED them! Next time I will def make a double batch.
Here is one tip: I already had Bob’s Red Mill almond flour so that is what I used.
But the photo of of the cookies here and others online look very pale in comparison to my cookies.
Some actually thought they were mini molasses cookies until they ate one :)
Next time, I’ll make these with lighter color almond flour. Thanks again for sharing.,,,,brings me back to my Italian Grandmother making these…so delish!
So glad you enjoyed! If you used whole-almond flour (as opposed to blanched) your cookies will definitely be darker. Also using dark-colored cookie sheets will result in browner bottoms, and baking them too long or too hot (all ovens are different so it’s possible yours runs a bit hot) will also result in darker cookies overall. Next time try a slightly lower cooking temperature and/or less cooking time if you want your cookies to look more like the photos. :)
Lovely recipe though a touch too sweet & I need to use a more powerful almond essence, but texture very good. Your instructions are terrific especially with great photos. I’ll try it again for sure!
Thank you so much for this age-old recipe,which has gone from generation to generation unchanged.Why change it? Then it is no longer the original ! And your several trials, which I have done also,out of curiosity.There could be a few more things to make a difference in the results: egg whites from the fridge or room temp,or also bio eggs versus cheaper eggs, or drying time.. Will continue the trials! Either way the cookies are heavenly,always well received, no matter how they bloom!The pleasure of it all.
These look great! Is it possible to freeze the unbaked dough balls so I can bake them off as needed, or would that ruin the texture? If I did freeze them, would I do it before or after rolling them in powdered sugar?
Thanks!
I haven’t personally tried freezing the unbaked cookies but I imagine it should work, as would freezing them after baking as well.
Exactly like the cookies I would buy at an Italian bakery , soft and chewy. The only thing I added was the cherry on top because those are my favorite at the bakery.
Kids loved them claiming mine were better. Will make again for sure (cheaper than the bakery they charge the cookies by weight).
Wow! These cookies are the real deal. Follow the recipe and watch your egg whites this is key. I did add a few drops of almond extract. Don’t be tempted to over bake as they will dry out quicker. Bake jus before you need them. You can put this together rather quickly. Now I don’t have to travel to the import store for these.
Ms Lynn
So glad you enjoyed these cookies as much as I do!!
I made these this afternoon. Half the batch was according to the recipe, but I added some chopped cocktail cherries to the other half. I had to add some extra ground almonds to offset the extra liquid but it worked really well. We’ve now got two new favorites!
Love the addition of cherries! You could probably also ‘wrap’ the dough around a whole cherry (sort of like I did here: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2013/02/stuffed-cherry-blossom-sugar-cookies.html) – that might solve the liquid problem.
Or if u wanted u could make a thumbprint cookie of it like previous culinary genius Siva stated, i and then put the cherry on top!. Pls let us know how it works out. I am so excited to try this recipe…
These look terrific, I was thinking of subbing the lemon juice with lime juice. What do you think?
The acidity of the lemon is just for stability for the meringue. There is no discernible flavor in the final cookie.
These are absolutely delicious. I have received many compliments on these, from many people
I used blue diamond ground almonds and added 1 tablespoon of pure almond extract for more intense flavour.
I made original and chocolate very good.
Where can I buy the dried raspberries for my next batch?
Thank you so much!
I was having trouble with the cookies spreading. I’ve reduced the sugar content, and added more almond flour (to make a stronger dough) and it seems to have worked much better.
Probably 150g of sugar and 350g of almond flour… I added more flour until it looked right (still sticky, but the dough can be torn and stay rough).
Can I ask what almond flour you used? That’s been the biggest variable for me in terms of spreading.
I had made this recipe years back and noted that it was very very sweet so I tried again with 3/4 cups sugar. I loved the texture of the cookies and would definitely remake them but with even less sugar next time. If you’re using almond flour from Costco, it came out to exactly 2 cups of flour for me. Also, the cookies stuck to the parchment paper a bit for me but I was able to peel them off the paper without damaging the cookies at all! Oh and lastly, I pushed the balls of dough down just a bit with my finger as opposed to putting them into the oven as balls and they came out beautifully! Thanks for the awesome recipe :)
Such a luscious cookie for so little effort. And so few ingredients. Many thanks.
The cookie recipe I didn’t know I way missing! It’s almost like an Italian pignoli cookie (pine nut cookie) without the pine nuts. I was a little lazy and did a one-bowl version–I beat the egg whites, then added the dry ingredients, alternating between with sugar and the almond flour. It all seemed to incorporate just fine, and they baked up nicely and tasted great. The only downside is that I was only able to bake 1/2 at a time, and at 30 minutes a batch, they took a long time to cook. They did not take long to eat, though–my preteen boys and hubby got most of them before I could take my fair share! I’ll be looking for an affordable almond flour source so I can make these more often! (Maybe Costco? Any suggestions?)
Aldi’s has the best price I’ve seen.
I baked these last week, achieved perfect and beautiful cookies, just like the photos. They tasted amazing, thanks for the recipe!
BUT today I baked a new batch for my family and friends and family to enjoy on Easter, but sadly the amaretti spread out so much! I got flat cookies instead of soft balls, I’m really bugged since i did not change anything and weighted all the ingredients just like the first try last well.. they still taste delicious, just a little more crunchy overall.
I have not been able to figure out why these cookies occasionally spread. Did you use a different brand of almond flour, perhaps? Or could you have over beaten your egg whites? Those two variables are my best guess. But I myself had two batches turn out quite differently on two different days, so who knows! 🤷♀️
Luckily they are just as tasty even if they spread. 😉
it’s a nice and delicious cookie,but I think if you use a little less sugar, it would be better.
Can I adjust the sugar I put in? How would that affect the cookies?
I would not adjust the sugar in this recipe. Since there are only 3 main ingredients in these cookies, changing the quantity of sugar would likely make a big difference in the final product.
How much do you weigh each cookie? I too enjoy using my scale and make perfect sizes.
EXCELLENT! I now have managed to make this recipe x 3 this week alone. I have always loved the Amaretti cookies found in the stores around the holidays, and never imagined that I could make them.
This recipe is easy to prepare and I would consider (following directions) this to be a no fail recipe. The texture is slightly crisp on the outside and a chewy/moist center with a good amount of almond flavor – just like the ones I pay so much for.
I am making them again this evening for a 70th birthday for a friend, and they are a huge Italian family. I know they will love these. Thank you for this classic recipe – this is the way I prefer to bake and cook. So very grateful, LS
So glad you enjoyed!! :)
Splendid! So quick and easy. For my third batch I used lavender extract instead of almond (probably a sacrilege), but delicious!
Thank you – this was delicious! I did not have almond extract so I used vanilla. I still got the almond flavor though. I love lemon so I added a little more lemon juice and zest from my lemon. Wow that really brought out almond and lemon. Yummm! This caught my eye since I’m Gluten Free so thank you very much!!!
My sister’s kids are GF, and I collect recipes to send down batches of sweets once a week. I wasn’t sure how these would turn out, and now I am trying to convince myself not to eat them all standing over the cooling rack. My signature cracks were more like a single gaping chasm, but the edges of the cookies have that delicate meringue crunch. I will definitely be adding this to my list of recipes to keep.
Have you tried subbing in amaretto or frangelico for the almond extract?
Oh, and as a total side note, I find that Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour reacts differently than their unblanched almond flour in baking recipes, so that’s a possibility too.
So glad you enjoyed!!
I think you’d need a lot more amaretto/liqueur for it to make an impact flavor-wise (vs extract which is very potent). I cannot say how that extra liquid might affect the final product.
You are right on, moisture (among so many other factors) is super important in contributing to how sugar behaves. You’ve found the sweet spot.
If the dough have to be kneaded , why should the eggs be beaten?? All the air incorporated into the egg white would be flatten away with the kneading? . Correct me please :)
Anyway those cookies looks heavenly, can’t wait to try them !
I’m no food scientist, but beating the whites changes the protein structure of the egg. It’s more than just air. :) I tested making cookies without beating (or just barely beating) and the cookies didn’t develop the signature cracks nor was the texture quite the same. Magic!!
Jest baked them, amazing!!! I added 1/4 cup of ground apricot cernels, delish!! Thank you for sharing the recipe and your thoughts!! Lots of love!
I just made these – delicious!!! The bottoms browned quickly so I took then out after 20 mins, and the inside I soft but I wonder if they are maybe still raw? They taste amazing anyway and have a nice crunchy outside with the very soft inside. I think this could be because I took them out once the bottoms looked brown and then left them on the cookie tray a few minutes before transferring to a cookie sheet. Only 22 came out of my batch, was expecting closer to 30. They’re the right size but perhaps next time I’ll make them a but smaller.
Guessing you used one cookie sheet vs two stacked ones? It really makes a difference with how quickly the bottoms brown. After 20 minutes the middles are definitely no longer raw, just a softer texture, and the outsides won’t be quite as chewy.
I love this recipe! The cookies are delicious.
Absolutely delicious! These turned out perfectly. I am going to try to make them with low carb sugar replacement and see how that goes.
Have you ever tried to make these in a chocolate version? That would be yummy.
Can these be frozen? They look and sound heavenly.
OMG I JUST MADE THESE AND AM IN LOVE! I accidentally made them bigger so only ended up with 13 cookies total but each one is going to be highly treasured. Mine also spread a bit more than the pictures – probably bc they were larger but maybe also because I did not knead the dough too much. I also used a brand new bag of Bob’s Red Mill almond flour so that might have also made it a bit more moist. So good and beautiful either way. Thank you for introducing me to my new favorite cookie!
Made them tonight! Delicious! My Hubbie loved them! Thanks for sharing … I’m thinking I’ll make them Keto friendly by subbing sugar for stevia. Does anyone know what the ratio might be?
Just found out about the spice Mahlab from watching British baking show and was looking for a cookie to add it to. It’s really got me intrigued. Have you heard of it? Do you think it would work in this recipe? Thank you!
Have you ever tried making these with any other types of sugar besides white?
I have not, no. Seeing how finicky they were with plain white sugar, I’m really not confident it’d work very well (brown sugar, for example, has a lot more moisture in it than white and would likely cause very different results).
I tried them replacing the sugar with 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 xylitol. They definitely need to bake longer in order to brown some. Next time I am going to try the Splenda or Truvia baking blends. Got a soft dense cookie. I also used liquid egg whites. Will try with whites from the shell next also.
My husband and a diabetic friend thought they tasted fine. Looking for a sugar free alternative.
I use Monk Fruit sugar to make them for my husband who is diabetic
The brown sugar cud be allowed to dry as much as the white sugar. Then mixed in with the dry ingredients shud work.
What step do you add the salt in?
Mix it in with the other dry ingredients! :)
Definitely adding to the Christmas baking list! YUM!
I think the answer maybe that your dough was rested over night. I know when I make triple batches of chocolate crinkles, the recipe says to refrigerate over night. Same thing goes for refrigerator cookies that sliced and baked.
Can’t wait to make these!
Tania
Guess it wasn’t clear but I actually made a fresh batch Sunday morning and those are the ones that spread. I did test a batch refrigerating the dough for 30 mins and it made no difference to the ones I baked at room temp.
*shrug* I’m stumped.
Hi.. awesome recipe..But we do not have almond flour..can replace it with all purpose flour>>thanks
Unfortunately they are not the same thing. You can make almond flour yourself by very finely grinding blanched and dried almonds, then sifting it so you have a fine flour.
Lindsay, by “dried” almonds, do you mean roasted, unsalted almonds?
I love amaretti cookies! They look so delicious and soft ?