Soft Amarettini Cookies

 

For these Amarettini Cookies you will need just 3 three main ingredients and 45 minutes of your precious time... 

This is not the original Italian amaretti recipe, but my version tastes absolutely amazing. 

My Amarettini Cookies are crisp and golden on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Gluten-free and dairy-free. A perfect treat for almond lovers.

All you need is :

2 cold egg whites

250-300g ground almonds (almond meal)

100g Soft Dark Brown Sugar

50g White Crystal Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract

few drops fresh lemon juice

a pinch of salt 

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor (... or a kitchen blender) blend together the brown sugar, white sugar, almond extract and vanilla extract. 

3. Combine the sugar mixture and the almond flour and stir very well.

4. Whisk the egg whites, a pinch of salt and few drops of fresh lemon juice until stiff. Whisk in the almond -sugar mixture until a smooth paste (dough) forms. No need to be gentle here, you are not making macarons.

5. Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into balls. Shape a smooth ball. Arrange on the baking tray,  leaving 3 cm of space between cookies.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are golden. If you prefer crunchier cookies you can give them an extra 5 minutes or until the tops begin to brown too.  Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Transfer to a wire racks to cool completely.

7. Store at room temperature in an airtight cookie jar, for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!