Amaretti Cookies # 2
Submitted by ppadovano
Classic Italian amaretti cookies made with almond paste and egg whites, piped and baked until golden with a crackly crust. Just three core ingredients for crisp, chewy almond flavor.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minAmaretti are one of Italy’s greatest cookie exports, and this version keeps things beautifully simple. Almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. That’s the whole deal. The paste gets broken down with sugar until fine, then the egg whites go in gradually to build a smooth, pipeable batter.
The wet towel trick is the step that separates good amaretti from great ones. Gently slapping the piped mounds with a damp towel smooths the surface, which is what creates that signature crackly top during baking. Those tiny cracks across a deep golden dome are exactly what you’re looking for.
Peel them off the parchment by flipping the paper and brushing the back with hot water. Give it a few minutes and they release cleanly.
Kitchen Tips
- Add the egg whites in four separate additions and beat well between each. Rushing this step leaves lumps in the batter that won’t pipe smoothly
- The towel should be damp, not dripping. Too much water flattens the mounds
- Watch for deep golden color and a surface covered in tiny cracks. Pale amaretti will be soft and underdone in the center
- Store in an airtight container. These stay good for over a week and actually improve after a day or two
Variations
- Amaretti di Pinoli: Press pine nuts generously into the moistened mounds before baking, skip the sugar dusting
- Fior di Mandorla: Dust heavily with confectioners’ sugar, dry overnight uncovered, then pinch each cookie into a three-pointed shape before baking for a rustic Sicilian style
- Chocolate dipped: After cooling, dip the bottoms in melted dark chocolate for an extra layer of richness
Ingredients
Directions
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 375℉ (190℃).
Break the almond paste into small pieces and combine it with the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Mix on low speed until very fine.
Add egg whites in 4 additions, mixing about 1 minute between each.
Beat the paste until very smooth, about 2-to-3 minutes.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain tube with the mixture.
Line 2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
Pipe the mixture on the paper in 1-to-1½-inch mounds, about 1-inch apart.
Fold a clean kitchen towel into a long strip and moisten the towel with water.
Squeeze lightly to eliminate excess water, leaving the towel more than damp.
Slap the surface of the Amaretti gently with the towel to moisten them and make the surface smooth.
Sprinkle the Amaretti with granulated sugar.
Bake about 15-to-20 minutes, until they are well risen, a deep golden color, and their surface is covered with tiny cracks.
Remove from the oven and place the pans on racks to cool.
To remove the Amaretti from the papers, turn the papers over with the Amaretti still adhering to them and wet the papers with hot water, using a brush.
Leave a few minutes, then pull on the papers to release the Amaretti.
HERE ARE 2 VARIATIONS OF AMARETTI: Amaretti di Pinoli: After moistening the piped Amaretti, strew them with pine nuts, sprinkling them on heavily, then pressing lightly with the fingertips so that the pine nuts adhere.
Do not dust with sugar.
Bake as for the Amaretti. Fior di Mandorla:
This variation of Amaretti is popular in Southern Italy and Sicily, where the mixture is sometimes colored green or pink during the mixing.
Their rough, craggy appearance is a nice contrast to the smoothness of the standard Amaretti.
Prepare the Amaretti, up to, and including, moistening them with the towel.
Dust heavily with confectioners’ sugar and allow the piped mixture to dry at room temperature, uncovered, at least 12 hours, or overnight.
After they have dried, indent each of the piped mounds with the thumb, first and middle fingers of one hand, positioning them equidistant around the circumference, and pinching gently inward, about half way into the center.
Bake the Fior di Mandorla at 375F, about 15-to-20 minutes.
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