Orange Almond Amaretti Cookies
Learn how to make the best orange amaretti cookies with this easy recipe. These gluten-free Italian almond cookies are made with egg whites and ground almonds, and flavoured with lots of orange zest and almond extract for a soft and chewy texture that everybody loves!
Servings: 24
Calories: 109kcal
Ingredients
- 300 grams ground almonds
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 10 mL finely grated orange zest equivalent to the zest of one Navel orange
- 105 grams large egg white(s) room temperature
- 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 10 mL pure almond extract
For coating
- 40 grams granulated sugar
- 30 grams icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, sugar, and orange zest until they are well mixed. Set aside.
- Place the egg whites and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until very frothy, then gradually sprinkle in the sugar, a little at a time. Continue whipping until you form a meringue with fairly firm peaks.
- Sprinkle one-third of the ground almond mixture on the meringue and fold it in with a spatula. Repeat with half of the remaining almond mixture, folding it in, then folding in the remainder. You will have a thick almond paste dough that is a little sticky.
- Place the granulated sugar for coating in a shallow bowl, and the icing sugar in a separate shallow bowl.
- Portion out the dough into 24 scoops of approximately 22 grams each (0.77 oz). Roll each into a smooth. ball.
- Roll each ball of almond cookie dough in the granulated sugar to lightly coat it all around, then roll in icing sugar to coat.
- Place 12 cookies per sheet pan.
- Bake the cookies, one sheet pan at a time, until the surface is cracked and set and the bottom begins to brown. This takes approximately 17 minutes in my oven.
- Let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use room-temperature egg whites so that they whip up more easily.
- You can make this recipe with any finely ground nuts, like almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts, or a combination of them.
- You can flavour this cookie with orange zest or lemon zest.
- I like to use a ¾ ounce scoop to portion out the dough.
- Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.
- Freshly baked amaretti will have a crunchy exterior and softer interior initially. Then after storage, the textures will become more soft and chewy throughout.
- This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Nutrition
Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.5mg
