My favorite soft and chewy amaretti cookies with added matcha green tea powder for a unique flavor and striking color.
This recipe is proving to be quite the versatile cookie, lending itself to endless iterations, including this virescent matcha variation that is, like the original, naturally gluten and dairy free!
Another day, another amaretti.
I swear, this recipe is turning into one of my all-time favorites (and yours). The fact that it’s so easy to adapt for a variety of flavors and striking natural colors only adds to that love. So far, I’ve done soft almond amaretti. Raspberry amaretti. And now, matcha amaretti. (I’m totally doing a chocolate version next.)
The flavor is as captivating as the color, with a hint of matcha green tea to compliment the natural almond essence. And for those of you who think matcha is bitter, there’s enough sugar in these cookies to negate that bitterness entirely.
Consider these step 1 in transforming yourself from a match-hater to a matcha-lover.
As reader Jacqueline suggested (she’s the one who inspired this flavorful variation in the first place!) make a batch of these and a batch of the raspberry amaretti for a festive red and green Christmas cookie display.
Or, even more timely… since St. Patrick’s Day is coming up… well, I don’t need to tell you that these would be the perfect treat. (There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making Japanese-flavored Italian cookies on an Irish holiday, right? I didn’t think so.)
The lovely chewy outsides of these cookies yield to a soft, marzipan-like middle. They’d be perfect served with a bowl of ceremonial-grade matcha or even a frothy matcha latte in the morning (or any time of day, really—I personally make myself a matcha latte every morning using this mix recipe; I make it hot in the winter and iced in the summer). Heck, they’d even be great with a cup of coffee.
I dusted these with a thicker layer of powdered sugar than previous variations, as I decided I really like the way the color stands out in the cracks. But you could certainly do a lighter layer of sugar on the outside and more of the green would show through.
The perfect medium-stiff peaks will hold a slumped point. Like an eagle’s beak, as I’ve heard it described.
One of the factors that can make these cookies spread is over beating egg whites, so once yours start forming soft peaks, reduce your mixer speed and keep a close eye on it. You can always beat more, but there’s no coming back from overbeaten egg whites.
Once your egg whites are ready, however, there’s no need to be delicate about mixing it in to the dough (you’re not making macarons here). Smush and mash the whites into the almond flour, almost kneading it with the spatula (and you can use your hands too which I find is easier at the end).
These cookies are super quick and easy to make, and are best when fresh. That said, if you want to make some ahead of time you can freeze balls of dough (without the powdered sugar coating), and then bake as described. They might need a minute or two longer if baked from frozen, and might be a bit less crackly than those baked from fresh.
After baking, the cookies will keep quite well in an airtight container for about 5 or so days, after which point they do start to dry out a bit and aren’t quite as delectable (still perfectly edible though).
It’s worth another mention (if you haven’t read the original post which goes over all the variables that can affect the outcome of these cookies) that I find baking these on a set of stacked cookie sheets (two identical cookie sheets one nested on top of the other) makes for a more evenly baked, chewier cookie. The two cookie sheets serve as insulation, essentially, keeping the bottom from getting too brown before the rest of the cookie is done.
If you use a single cookie sheet instead, you’ll probably only need to bake them for 22 to 25 minutes. You’ll end up with browner bottoms and softer middles than my cookies.
The good news is these cookies don’t spread much, so you can pack them pretty tightly (I can fit an entire batch on a single cookie sheet). Give them no more than an inch of space between cookies, offsetting the rows to fit in even more.
Want to see how these amazing little cookies are made (along with the original, chocolate and raspberry variations)? Check out the video:
Matcha Amaretti Cookies
Soft and chewy almond cookies with matcha green tea powder for a unique flavor and striking color.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups (200g) almond flour or very finely ground almonds, sifted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (5g) matcha 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:
- 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, matcha 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
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This recipe is delicious! The cookies turned out great. We used amaretto instead of almond extract just for fun. Wonderful recipe either way. Thank you so much. I mean… thank you so matcha
I just made these natcha cookies! Easy and wonderful. I baked them on one heavy duty cookie sheet instead of two. Instead, I used an ovenproof wire rack to lift the cookies up on parchment. No browning at all and so flavorful. So easy, I just put strawberry amaretti cookies in the oven!
Hello!
Can you tell me the nutritional facts on these cookies I’m more interested in the fat content.
Macha Amaretto cookies.
My husband has a special diet and I think we can have these.
Thank you
Bobbie
I made these today and they were great!! I used cream of tartar in place of lemon juice bc I have that on hand for macarons! Also I used vanilla extract instead of almond extract bc it was all I could find at my grocery store!
These came out soo good! Flavor wise, they reminded me very much of my matcha macarons!!!
(I also drizzled them with a matcha glaze because I’m a matcha fanatic 🤪) Thank you for this easy and amazing recipe!!!! ❤👏❤
I can’t wait to make these! Can I use cream of tartar powder instead of lemon juice? If so, how much? Thanks in advance! :-)
Made original Amaretti, Macha Amaretti and Chocolate Amaretti multiple time. Original ones are The HIT! I was asked for recipe each time someone tastes them😁 I also often used brown eco sugar instead of white one and i can assure you – the only difference is cookies color, and with brown sugar cookies are a little bit sweeter (if you use the same amount). Anyway, love them! Thanks for a great recipe👌🥰
Do these freeze well? Thanks for the great recipe, its a favorite of mine!
My turn to ask yet another flour question! :) You must be getting tired of them during this crazy pandemic. I have arrowhead mills gluten free all purpose flour. Do you think using this could come close to the same texture as using almond flour?
Unfortunately I don’t thing anything but nut flour really works in this case. I mean, you’d probably end up with something that’s likely tasty and edible, but it won’t be an amaretti cookie. The nut four is very unique in this situation and wheat or other flours just don’t behave in the same way.
I only have whole wheat flour, how can I make this recipe work for me?
Unfortunately wheat flour can not be swapped for almond flour in this recipe. If you’re looking for a matcha cookie, maybe try something more like this? https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2020/02/black-sesame-stuffed-matcha-sugar-cookies.html (can easily leave out the sesame filling).
Just made these for the first time. I don’t love matcha as a drink but I loved these. I used 1/4 tsp of almond paste extract and followed the recipe. Took 35 min in my convection oven using the two pans. Thanks for a great recipe.
I just made a half recipe and they are so good!!! I’ve never had amaretti cookies before and they are so good! Not too sweet but a perfect treat.
Can I use regular flour and brown sugar? It’s all I have currently
That would change the nature of this cookie entirely, I really can’t say what you’d end up with. Might I suggest something more like this? https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2015/12/chewy-muscovado-sugar-cookies.html (you can use regular brown sugar here the result will just be a bit lighter in color/flavor).
I love these cookies and have made them three times already!
Can you make a recipe for a coffee flavor?
Also, is there a healthier recipe alternative, one that uses less sugar or maybe coconut sugar?
Thank you SO much!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!! You could pretty easily add a teaspoon or so of instant espresso powder instead of the matcha, I think that’d work great!
And I have not tested this recipe with any sugar substitutes so I cannot attest to the results.
I have some authentic japanese green tea bags – can I rip some open to use instead of matcha powder, as I dont have any? Thanks in advance
Unfortunately bagged green tea is not the same as matcha, which is a very finely ground powder made from whole tea leaves – you’re meant to consume the whole thing whereas bagged green tea is just designed for steeping. I’d suggest maybe checking out the original almond amaretti instead: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2018/12/soft-amaretti-cookies.html :)
Tried these for the first time yesterday, they were delicious. I only had half the amount of almond flour in my pantry but it turned out it was the exact amount , the full recipe would have been entirely too many cookies for my two person house hold. We really enjoyed them, stored them overnight in a airtight container can’t wait to break into them after dinner again today
Hello! Any guess as to why they’d flatten instead of hold their shape?
I haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact reason why they sometimes spread. My best guess is variances in almond flour, coarser/finer or more/less moisture. Maybe try again with a different brand (I like Bob’s) and see if they hold their shape better?
Thank you for the recipe—I can’t wait to make them for guests this week! I just have a quick question: Will storing the dough in the fridge overnight affect the cookies’ texture? Thanks again :)
I haven’t tried storing the dough overnight but I think it should be ok. You may also be able to roll the dough balls and freeze those, then roll in powdered sugar before baking.
I just made these cookies. Great flavor but too much sugar. Next time I will cut sugar in half. Thank you for a great recipe.
The cookies hardened a lot after a few hours 😫😫
If they were too dry it’s possible they were overbaked. I definitely recommend storing them in an airtight container though!
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I will definitely try this! These cookies looks so great!
These look like a delightful addition to my st Patrick’s day menu!
Split pea soup, irish soda bread and matcha cookies for dessert!
Wow! These look so pretty :). Can’t wait to try them!
I love Amaretti cookies! The addition of matcha sounds so unique – can’t wait to try this recipe
so beautiful, like a winter jacket and to use matcha as an ingredient here is inspired, so thank y0u for this recipe