AMARETTI COOKIES

Image by Quin Engle on Unsplash

Sometimes in certain delis and fancy food stores you’ll see a big red tin filled with cookies wrapped in pretty colored tissue paper, the cookies tasting of almond and topped with a little pearl sugar. I wouldn’t claim these are exactly the same thing, but they taste really good, and if you were so inclined you could also wrap them in colored paper.

I had a total cookie baking disaster with the first version of these. My husband liked them but I threw half of them away. This version, adapted from the Food Network’s version, is much better.

Although the name suggests they contain amaretto liqueur, the word amaretti comes from the diminutive form of amaro, or bitter, and was possibly attached to the cookie name when originally made with bitter almonds. There are numerous amaro digestif liqueurs on the market such as Cynar (made from artichokes and botanicals) and Fernet-Branca (strong licorice with numerous botanicals), not at all to be confused with amaretto or amaretti.

A few notes:

The original recipe calls for super-fine almond flour. I made it once with regular almond flour and once with super-fine, and actually I like the non-super-fine better. The super-fine costs quite a bit more but can easily be made at home: blitz almond flour in a blender or food processor until super-fine. Almond flour is marketed by Bob’s Red Mill but can also be found in less expensive versions in health food and natural food stores, as well as supermarkets with bulk food bins.

I cut the sugar from 1 cup to 2/3 cup and next time I make them I will probably cut the sugar again. I think these are quite sweet already, but feel free to increase it back to the full cup.

To beat eggs whites successfully, it is essential that there be no residual oil or grease in the bowl. Sprinkle some salt into the bowl and rub it around with a paper towel, then discard salt.

I increased the almond extract to 1 1/4 teaspoons and feel that it could easily go up to 1 1/2 teaspoons without being overpowering.

These mix together quickly and easily but shaping them is another story, since the dough is very sticky and will hopelessly coat all your fingers. After a few false starts, I found the easiest and quickest method (assuming you don’t have a tiny cookie dough/ice cream scoop) is to scoop up the dough with one spoon, push it into the powdered sugar and roll it around with a small spoon, and then spoon-carry it to the parchment-paper-covered baking sheets.

And about that powdered sugar: the ones purchased in tissue paper usually have pearl sugar toppings. Pearl sugar is not easily found in the United States (although it can be ordered). As I said, I find these are quite sweet as is and the powdered sugar coating adds to that. Perhaps bake a few without that extra coating and see how you like those.

Recipe doubles or triples easily without loss of quality.

And – these cookies are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.

AMARETTI COOKIES

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg whites
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (NOT waxed paper).

Stir together the almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt until thoroughly combined. A whisk is helpful here.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar (OR substitute an additional pinch of salt) until soft peaks form. Add almond extract and beat a few seconds longer.

Fold egg whites into almond flour mixture.

Scoop out an amount of dough about the size of a pecan in the shell. Roll it in powdered sugar and place about 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake until tops crack and cookies are slightly browned, about 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.

When cool, store in airtight container. Makes about 32 cookies.