Delicious soft centred Amaretti biscuits. So easy to make, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle and they’re naturally gluten-free too.
With Valentines Day coming up I thought I would try to make something vaguely romantic. Both Charlotte and I absolutely love Amaretti biscuits (also sometimes referred to as Italian macaroons), and with them being Italian surely that means they automatically qualify to be romantic! They come with the added bonus of being extremely easy and quick to make.
I have had two versions of Amaretti biscuits, those which are hard all the way through and those which are crisp on the outside yet deliciously soft and chewy in the middle. These are the latter, which makes the inside taste like gorgeous marzipan and the softness saves you from the worry of a sizeable dental bill that you get from the crunchy ones!
Initially when I made these biscuits I used a 50:50 split between caster sugar and ground almond. I then experimented with this ratio (keeping the overall weight the same) and preferred them with slightly more almond than sugar. However if you prefer them a little sweeter then just adjust the ratio accordingly.
If you want to make a bigger or smaller batch, you can do this by simply multiplying up or down the ingredients. For example if you want to make 32 biscuits, simply double the ingredients, if you want just 8 biscuits then simply half them.
If you enjoy these amaretti biscuits then take a look at Charlotte’s version, which are stuffed with dark chocolate. I’d also heartily recommend Charlotte’s Maltese figolli biscuits which use a very similar recipe to create the almond paste which is then encased either side by two biscuits flavoured with lemon zest and orange blossom.
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Amaretti Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large egg whites
- 190 g ground almond
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp icing sugar - for rolling the biscuits in prior to baking
- 3 tbsp caster sugar - for rolling the biscuits in prior to baking
RECIPE VIDEO
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150ºC fan.
- Line your baking sheet with baking parchment or bake-o-glide sheet.
- Put your egg whites (2 large egg whites) into a large bowl and beat on a medium speed until they form a firm peak.
- Put the ground almonds (190g), caster sugar (150g) and vanilla extract (¼ tsp) into a large bowl. Gently fold in the beaten egg white and then add in the Amaretto liquor (15ml) and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste.
- Put the icing sugar (3 tbsp) and caster sugar (3 tbsp) onto separate plates.
- Next break the mixture into 16 little balls (around 2-3cm in diameter) and roll each ball first in the caster sugar and then in the icing sugar before placing them on the baking tray. Allow about 3cm between each ball as they will spread a little in the oven.
- Place in the oven and cook for 15-17 minutes until they look like the ones in these pictures.
- Take them out of the oven, leave to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray and then place onto a cooling rack.
NOTES
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of the page to let others know what you thought.NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Peanut-Free (contains almonds)
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Lupin-Free
Vic says
Fab recipe. How long do they keep (if you don’t eat them all!) and what is the best way to keep them?
Regards
Vic
Charlotte Oates says
They’ll keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.
Ivi says
They freeze so well and defrost within
the time you make a coffee!
Rochelle says
I’ve just made these as a Christmas present for family and they have turned out amazing and taste absolutely delicious!
Chris says
I have made these biscuits a couple of times and they worked every time. I’m making them again today To go with a lemon posset desert.
Deana says
These come out with a light, crisp outside & soft chewy inside, right?, that’s what I’m looking for also, does anyone know how to “translate” this recipe to American measurements? Lol ty!
Charlotte Oates says
If you have a look under the ingredients list it says “Convert to US Cups/Ounces. Click that and it’ll tell you what you need.
Kathryn says
Beautiful recipe easy, delicious and doesn’t break the bank! Will be making them as Christmas presents to go into hampers this year does anyone know how long they keep?
Charlotte Oates says
They keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.
Michelle Smithson says
I’ve made these a few times now and absolutely love this recipe – just the right balance of flavours and a beautiful texture. I always get so many comments on how delicious they are and requests to share the recipe. Thank you! Am keen to try the lemon version next 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks for your lovely comment, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them. Let me know how the lemon ones go.
Laura says
I tried a different recipe before I found this, and they were like bland bullets. These were unbelievable – they turned out soft, delicious and just like the picture. Completely gorgeous and addictive. A go-to recipe.
Lucy says
I love making these. I saw that you were experimenting with different flavours, do you have a lemon version?
Charlotte Oates says
I didn’t but after reading this comment I decided to have an experiment and I’ve got one now. It’ll be up on my site within the next week. Make sure you subscribe to my mailing list so you don’t miss it 🙂
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I love Ameretti biscuits, they are one of my favourites
Charlotte Oates says
Mine too!
Estrlita Torres says
I love this recipe . The first time I made this, everybody loved it, n they keep asking for more. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks, I’m so glad you enjoyed it x
Colr says
Done it!
Without sounding like someone from ‘Allo!’Allo! as I did in the post above:-
180g ground almonds
160g sugar
2 egg whites
20ml amaretto
160 deg C in a fan oven for 17-20 minutes and I get amaretti heaven!! Brilliant – only 4 attempts!!
I’ll try your idea with the chocolate next!!
Colr says
Tried this and they held their shape just fine!! Yaaay!
Their softer than Gino’s maybe because they have more almond. These were cooked at a lower temperature.
I’m going to try reducing the almonds and see if I can get something in between the two with a bitnof a shell but sift and chewy inside.
Colr says
I tried Gino D’ Acampo’s recipe for these and, although they tasted fantanstic, they just wouldn’t hold their shape. I’ll give this one a go instead.
Charlotte Oates says
Let me know how they go.
* I’m now keeping my fingers tightly crossed that mine are better that Gino’s 🙂
Katie says
These look amazing!! How long would they keep? Could you store them in a kilner jar and give them as a Christmas gift if you made them close to Christmas, for instance?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve never kept them particularly long (just because I couldn’t resist eating them!) so I’m not too sure how long they last. However, they do freeze OK so if you want to make them in advance you can always freeze them in an airtight container and then defrost them overnight and put them into pretty jars to give as a gift.
Carol says
Can I use almond extract instead of liquor as I don’t drink
Charlotte Oates says
I wouldn’t as it’ll be far too strong (the almond extract has a very concentrated flavour). You could use a little bit for the flavour (I’d go for about 1/2 tsp) and then make up the rest of the volume with water.
Jane says
These are wonderful, the smell alone coming from the oven is delicious! Can these lovely little biscuits be frozen? I would love to batch cook them to serve over the Christmas season..
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Jane. Sorry for taking so long to reply, I hadn’t tested freezing them and so thought I’d make a batch to see. Sadly I haven’t had a chance yet but thought I couldn’t leave replying any longer. These should freeze just fine I’ve frozen similar biscuits without any problems, just defrost them thoroughly before eating.
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I love Amaretti and these biscuits look simply divine! x #FoodYearLinkUp
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
I was sold as soon as you said amaretti!….. I’ll have a dozen to go please 🙂
No seriously, they do look amazing….by the way how long did it take to photo the image of the three amaretti stacked up? They’d have been falling all over the place for me. 😉
Angela x
Charlotte Oates says
Very very carefully and one they were steady the didn’t move, everything else got moved around them. We did have a few collapses!
anna @ annamayeveryday says
Those look delicious, really perfect, I’ll bet they tasted amazing!
Charlotte Oates says
They did, I’m going to be making another batch later this week.
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I ADORE Amaretti biscuits, but strangely I have never thought about making them myself. Heaven knows why…… they are really straight forward aren’t they? Bookmarked!
Charlotte Oates says
I think it’s one of those things you think is tricky and actually turns out to be really easy. You should definitely give them a try, let me know how it goes if you do x
Charlotte @ whatcharlottebaked says
Maripan tasting filling? Sign me up! I love amaretto biscuits, but as I’m not really a coffee drinker, I find them a bit hard when not dunked in anything. These seem perfect! I must give them a try 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
These are definitely the biscuits for you then – they aren’t hard at all, slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and marzipany in the centre. I hope you enjoy them x