These delicious Gluten-Free Amaretti Cookies have a crisp exterior and soft and chewy center bursting with delicious almond flavor! Only 7 ingredients, naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
If you're a big fan of almond-flavored desserts, then you will love these Soft Amaretti Cookies! These chewy amaretti cookies have a crispy exterior and soft almost-marzipan type center. In Italy, these cookies are known as "Amaretti morbidi", morbidi meaning 'soft' in Italian.
For extra crunch, we roll the cookie dough balls in blanched almond slices which is optional but highly recommended. We then finish the freshly baked cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar for both flavor and presentation. These cookies are popular during the holidays and great to serve at any event.
Looking for more delicious almond cookie recipes? Check out our Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies, Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies, and Gluten-FreeWhite Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Only 7 Ingredients: These cookies are made from simple ingredients that are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
Easy to make: From start to finish an entire batch of Amaretti cookies can be made in under an hour.
Amazing texture and flavor: This recipe uses sliced almonds to give an extra crunch and compliment the soft chewy center. Their small size makes them great for dipping into tea or coffee!
Ingredients
Egg Whites: You'll need three large egg whites. Weighing them on a food scale is recommended for accuracy.
Granulated Sugar: This is used to sweeten the cookie dough.
Almond Flour: Almond flour, not Almond meal, gives these amaretti cookies structure and makes them naturally gluten-free.
Almond Extract: A traditional Italian cookie would use amaretto liqueur, but to simplify things, we used almond extract. Choose a high-quality brand for the best flavor.
Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors.
Sliced Almonds: Blanched almond slices provide a nice crunch and texture. You can omit these all together and instead, roll the cookie dough ball in the powdered sugar and then bake.
Powdered Sugar: A dusting of powdered sugar at the end adds so much flavor and beauty to these cookies.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugar, and salt until evenly incorporated.
- Whisk the egg whites. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on high speed for (2-4 minutes) or until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip your egg whites as they may start to clump.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond extract and ⅓ of the almond flour mixture until combined. Fold in another ⅓ of the almond flour then add the remaining ⅓, folding until fully combined. You can be firm with the spatula making sure to incorporate all of the almond flour. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and add the almond flour mixture slowly until fully incorporated. The batter will resemble a thick almond paste.
- Scoop and roll the dough. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop and roll the sticky dough with clean hands into 1-inch balls or (24 grams) weighed on a food scale.
- Coat in almond slices. In a small bowl, add the almond slices. Roll each cookie dough ball into the almonds and then place 12 balls onto the prepared baking tray about 1 ½-2 inches apart.
- Bake. Gently press on the tops of the cookies to ever-so-slightly flatten them. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the cracks are set and the bottoms are golden brown.
- Cool the cookies. Let the cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes.
- Sift powdered sugar on top. Sift the tops of the cookies with fresh powdered sugar then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vanilla Extract: If you are not a fan of almond extract you could always substitute vanilla extract.
- Add Zest: Traditional Italian Amaretti cookies have lemon zest added to the batter. You can grate 1-2 lemons into the batter.
- Chocolate: To make chocolate amaretti cookies, replace ¼ cup of almond flour with cocoa powder.
- Skip the sliced almonds: Roll the cookie dough balls in the powdered sugar and skip the sliced almonds.
- Vegan: For a vegan egg substitute, try using an equal amount of aquafaba.
Storage:
To serve: Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
To store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.
FAQ
Italian almond cookies are a simple combination of egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar, flavored with Amaretto or almond extract. Traditionally, they are rolled in powdered sugar, but our version does a light dusting at the end of the bake.
These Amaretti biscuits are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
You'll want to use almond flour which is finely ground blanched almonds for the right consistency. Almond meal has a coarser texture.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Soft Amaretti Cookies (Italian Almond Cookies)
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, (100 grams)
- 1 cup sugar, (200 grams)
- 2⅔ cups almond flour, (300 grams)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flaked almonds, for rolling
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (30 grams), for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugar, and salt until evenly incorporated.
- Whisk the egg whites. In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on high speed for (2-4 minutes) or until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip your egg whites as they may start to clump.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the almond extract and ⅓ of the almond flour mixture until combined. Fold in another ⅓ of the almond flour then add the remaining ⅓, folding until fully combined. You can be firm with the spatula making sure to incorporate all of the almond flour. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and add the almond mixture slowly until fully incorporated. The batter will resemble a thick paste.
- Scoop and roll the dough. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop and roll the dough with clean hands into 1-inch balls or (24 grams) weighed on a food scale.
- Coat in almond slices. In a small bowl, add the almond slices. Roll each cookie dough ball into the almonds and then place 12 balls onto the prepared baking tray about 1 ½-2 inches apart.
- Bake. Gently press on the tops of the cookies to ever-so-slightly flatten them. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the cracks are set and the bottoms are golden brown.
- Cool the cookies. Let the cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes
- Sift powdered sugar on top. Sift the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Vegan: For a vegan egg substitute, try using an equal amount of aquafaba.
- To store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.
- Separate the eggs while they’re cold. The yolks hold their shape better, making it less likely for them to break into the egg whites.
- Wash your hands and roll. Since the batter is very soft, wash your hands every so often to prevent the dough from overly sticking.
- Weigh the ingredients: For complete accuracy, I recommend weighing all of your ingredients on a food scale.
Melanie says
These are amazing! Be careful they're addicting. We're on the second batch in less than a week.
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Melanie!
Thank you so much for the awesome review, I'm glad you enjoyed these amaretti cookies. 🙂
Rebecca