These soft and chewy Italian almond cookies, known as Amaretti, have a perfect balance of crispy exteriors and irresistibly chewy centers! With a short list of ingredients, these traditional Italian cookies are easy to make. A perfect holiday cookie recipe to make ahead of time!
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❤️ Why you'll love this Italian almond cookie recipe
- naturally gluten-free
- a short list of ingredients
- easy to make
- amazing chewy texture and rich, nutty flavor.
- a good choice for a make-ahead cookie recipe as they stay fresh for days
🛒 Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with quantities in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- almond flour: You'll need finely ground almond flour. I usually use the Kirkland brand of almond flour available at Costco, but I've also made these with Bob's Red Mill almond flour.
- sugar: granulated sugar works the best and gives the best flavor, but I've also made these with Monkfruit sweetener for those on a sugar-free or Keto diet.
- sea salt: just a pinch
- egg whites: You'll whip these to the soft peak stage.
- pure almond extract
- orange and/or lemon zest: for a tiny burst of surprising flavor
🔪 Instructions
Here's an overview of what you'll do to make this almond cookie recipe perfectly. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- After preparing your cookie sheets, whisk the almond flour with the sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
- Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the soft peak stage. Soft peaks are foamy egg whites that form soft mounds that flop over.
- Gently stir in the lemon and/or orange zest.
- Add the egg whites to the almond flour mixture. It will quickly absorb the whites and you'll end up with a sticky dough.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to make small balls of dough. Roll them in powdered sugar in the palm of your hand before placing them about 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 325°F. for 25 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown. Check at 22 minutes to make sure the bottoms are not browning too quickly.
🔁 Possible Variations
You can choose to use either lemon zest or orange zest, or a little of both!
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Double up your baking sheets. Use two same-sized baking sheets, one on top of the other to prevent the cookies from browning too quickly before the centers are done.
Use a small cookie scoop so that all the cookies are the same size so they bake at the same rate.
Roll them in powdered sugar in the palm of your hand to coat them evenly. If they're not perfect, it won't matter. They will still taste delicious!
🍽 What to serve with Amaretti cookies
These chewy Italian almond cookies are delicious with morning coffee! I usually serve them as part of a holiday cookie platter along with other traditional favorites like the following:
⏰ Storage Instructions
To store: These Amaretti cookies will stay fresh for several days at room temperature.
To freeze: Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container once they have cooled completely. They will last for 3 months or so.
🗒 More recipes for cookies and bars
- Mini Egg Oatmeal Cookie Bars - Gluten-Free
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Gluten-Free Cherry Pie Crumble Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Collagen Bars
🌟Did you make this recipe?
When you make this Italian almond cookie recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Soft and Chewy Italian Almond Cookes (Amaretti)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (240 gm) blanched almond flour, finely ground
- 1 cup (200gm) granulated sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon each lemon zest and /or orange zest
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar, or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. and prepare your baking pans. Stack two same-sized baking sheets one on top of the other, then line the top one with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Doubling the baking pans will help to prevent the cookies from browning on the bottom too quickly.
- Measure (and weigh to check) the almond flour, then whisk it together with the sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
- Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the soft peak stage. Soft peaks are foamy egg whites that form soft mounds that flop over ever so slightly.
- Gently stir in the almond extract and the lemon and/or orange zest.
- Add the egg whites to the almond flour mixture. It will quickly absorb the whites and you'll end up with a sticky dough.
- Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to make small balls of dough. Roll them in powdered sugar in the palm of your hand before placing them about 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 325°F. for 25 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown. Check at 22 minutes to make sure the bottoms are not browning too quickly. Let the cookies cool on the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.
Laura
Oh my goodness, YUM YUM YUM! Perfect addition to my holiday cookie boxes!
Elaine
Your lucky friends! I’ll bet they LOVE your cookie boxes!