Soft Amaretti Cookies {Chewy Almond Cookies}

Soft amaretti cookies are an Italian chewy almond cookie with a slightly crisp exterior and a soft marzipan-like center. A gluten free cookie perfect for almond lovers!

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A simple cookie with a complex flavor.  These amaretti cookies have a barely there crisp to the outside and a soft and chewy marzipan-like center.  The chewy almond cookies are gluten free and sure to please all the almond lovers in your life.

This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated with new photos, tips and text. The recipe remains the same. Be sure to check out an original photo at the end of the post!

what are amaretti cookies?

Amaretti are an Italian macaroon type cookie. They are typically small and made with just a few ingredients. They contain no flour, which means no gluten either.

Amaretti cookies come in two varieties; morbidi {Italian for soft} or a crunchy version with a texture closer to biscotti.

This easy recipe creates soft cookies, but can be made crunchy by baking them longer.

how to make chewy almond cookies

We are going old school and making this recipe fully by hand. A whisk, spatula, a few ingredients and two bowls are all you need.

You'll start by separating your eggs.  Then you want to whisk your egg yolks in a large bowl.

Gradually whisk in the superfine sugar.  At some point the mixture becomes very thick for the whisk and you may want to switch to a spatula. If you look in the photo on the right below, you can see how the thick mixture hugs the whisk. I find if you pull the whisk upward, the mixture will slowly fall back off of it.

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Slowly add your almond flour, mixing until combined.  **I ALWAYS weigh my almond flour, but 1.1 pounds is roughly 4 ¾ cups**  At some point the mixture will become so thick that it will stop accepting the almond flour.

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Now you will beat your egg whites until they reach a soft peak, be careful not to over whip them.  I prefer to do this by hand to avoid over beating the egg whites.

Next, fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the sugar and almond flour batter and add your almond and vanilla extracts.  This will loosen the batter and allow you to add the remaining almond flour.  Fold in the remaining egg whites and mix until combined.

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Now you'll want to cover and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of one hour and up to 24 hours.

how to prepare the cookies for baking

After chilling the dough, preheat your oven and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Scoop amaretti dough and roll into small balls, approximately 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons per ball.

Then roll in confectioners' sugar and place on prepared baking sheet.

Chill remaining dough while the first batch bakes.

Bake until lightly browned on the bottom and the tops have slightly cracked and split.

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Remove cookies from the baking sheet and allow to cool on a cooling rack.  Then prepare to fall in love with soft amaretti cookies!💗

can you use homemade almond flour?

Yes, I have successfully made this recipe several times by making my own almond flour.

You need a food processor and almonds. I find blanched almonds {raw almonds with the skins removed} are my favorite to use. You can also use slivered almonds or raw unsalted almonds with the skin on {although your cookies will be a darker finished cookie, if using almonds with the skin on}.

Place a cup of almonds at a time into the food processor. Pulse the food processor in 1 second intervals for 50-60 times {depending on your food processor, this could be faster or slower for you}. Stop every so often to scrape the sides of the bowl. This helps to ensure the almonds are ground evenly. You don't want to over process them and turn them into almond butter!

Homemade almond flour isn't quite as fine as a purchased almond flour, but it does work fine for amaretti cookies!

can amaretti cookies be frozen?

Yes, once the cookies have baked and cooled, place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow them to defrost before serving.

the inspiration behind these amaretti cookies

I'll admit it.  I have an infatuation with Italy.

It started in 2007.

I had recently read the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and was itchy to do some traveling.  Mr. two sugar bugs and I had sold our lovingly restored 1910 bungalow in the city for life in a bedroom community and our trip abroad was a prize for the big life change we had undertaken.

We spent two amazing weeks exploring Italia.  We started in Roma, worked our way to Toscana, Piemonte, Lago di Como and ended in Milano.  Large amounts of incredible food and wine were consumed and many new adventures were had.

For our time in Piemonte, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Acqui Terme.  We had found it online and hoped it was going to be as special as it seemed from their website.  We were in for a very pleasant surprise!  The innkeepers were an American woman married to a German man.  They had spent time in the States and Germany, but were tired of the rat race and wanted to try something new so they purchased an old farm in Italy and turned it into a spectacular bed and breakfast.

Micha took us out one day to explore some of the neighboring wineries and along the way told us we'd stop to get amaretti cookies.

One bite and I was in love.💗

Four years fly by and now it's 2011.  We make another trip to Italia and this time I am pregnant with our Big E.  During our visit I eat lots of amazing pastas, breads, fresh veggies, cheese and salami.  I also indulge in gelato every day!  Okay, truthfully?  Gelato twice everyday!!

We spend another week in Acqui Terme and visit with our friends.  It's even better than the first time.  We take another trip with Micha and stop at the same little shop to get amaretti.  They are just as good as the first time and I'm still in love.💗💗

When we return home I start my quest to recreate the delectable amaretti cookies.  After many different attempts, I believe I've come the closest I can come to those lovely amaretti cookies we ate in Italy.  I hope you love them too!

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Soft Amaretti Cookies {Chewy Almond Cookies}. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more recipes using almond flour

• Almond Flour Skillet Cookie
• Lemon Almond Cookie Bars with Dark Chocolate
• Almond Cookie Bars {with Coconut}
• Almond and Berry Mascarpone Tart

If you make this recipe (or any recipe!) from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!