almond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookiesalmond & citrus soft amaretti cookies

One part egg white + two parts sugar + three parts ground almond powder, with a few extras. What could be simpler ? But I realized that most people were doing it all wrong ! This is the better and much easier way for perfect and flawless results …

It’s such a pity that I only make these when I have leftover egg whites and often with just one egg white, by simply weighing the egg white and multiplying the other ingredients by 2 and 3 because it’s all a question of weights : the egg white (with the extracts added later), twice that weight in sugar and three times that weight in almond powder, with a few extra candied citrus peel bits and zests added later !

Most of the people I know and love and respect who make these Italian cookies, combine the almond powder with the sugar, then add in the beaten egg whites and extracts and/or extras, but you end up with a soft mess that is difficult to roll into balls, even after chilling, so listen up !

The secret is to make a meringue mixture first with the egg whites and sugar and then adding the extracts before combining it with the almond powder and you’ll end up with a firmer more uniform dough that you’ll chill and then roll into balls, coat with icing sugar, chill again and bake for 15 minutes in a not-too-hot oven and let the outer crust slightly crisp up in a turned-off oven for another 15 minutes, as they gently cool, before removing them from the oven, to cool off completely.

It seems obvious but it was all trial-and-error and now I make these at least once or twice per month and often with just one egg white (if I used an egg yolk wash for a brioche or other baked goods) because even 10 soft amaretti are a wonderful thing to have on hand.

By the way, I specify almond amaretti in this recipe but I’ve also made them with other ground nut powders and sometimes stuffed them too, but that’s another recipe, so hang on … :)

almond & citrus soft amaretti cookies

22.05.2021

26-30 cookies x 25 grams each

ingredients

  • 300 grams (3 cups) ground almond powder
  • 200 grams (1 cup) extra fine sugar (or use regular and pulse several times)
  • 90 grams (¼ cup + 2 ½ tbsp) egg whites (from 3 large room temperature eggs)
  • 0,5 gram (1/16 tsp or 1 pinch) fine sea salt
  • 0,5 ml (1/16 tsp or 3 drops) white vinegar or lemon juice
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) orange blossom water
  • 2,5 ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract
  • 2,5 ml (½ tsp) almond extract
  • 2 grams (1 tsp) citrus zests (orange, lemon and/or lime), grated
  • 50 grams (5 tbsp) candied citrus peel (orange, lemon and/or lime), diced
  • 75 grams (½ cup) icing sugar

instructions

  • weigh all your room temperature ingredients and keep everything in separate bowls 
  • *note : if using regular granulated sugar, pulse it several times in a small food processor until finer (the result should be something in between regular granulated sugar and icing sugar)
  • beat the egg whites for several minutes with a small pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice or white vinegar, until peaks form, then add the fine sugar and keep whipping until stiffer and glossy, then add the extracts and flavorings and beat again for several seconds and set aside the meringue mixture
  • add the zests and candied citrus to the almond powder and mix well, then add the meringue mixture and mix until well combined, cover with plastic film in small bowl and refrigerate for several hours (or until the next day) until firmer
  • remove the chilled and firmer mixture from the refrigerator, wet your hands and separate the dough into smaller clumps of 2 tbsp each (around 25 grams each) and roll into balls with slightly wet hands and set aside
  • place the icing sugar in a rounded bowl, drop each ball of dough inside and roll around until completely covered in icing sugar and place each ball on a baking sheet covered with baking paper
  • refrigerate the baking sheet with all the sugar-coated balls of dough for a minimum of 30 minutes (or up to several hours)
  • preheat the oven to 165°C
  • remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, use a flat-bottomed glass or other tool to slightly flatten out the balls until the sides very slightly crack and bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn off the oven, leave the oven door slightly ajar and let cool down for an additional 15-20 minutes still inside the oven, then remove, let cool down completely for another 30-40 minutes and store in an airtight container for approximately up to 1 week.