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
Charlotte says
Super easy. Excellent result. Definitely make them again. Thank you
Margaret Yale says
Love this recipe makes consistently delicious Amaretti biscuits. Easy to follow with excellent video. Makes them regularly for my Christmas hampers and they are always well receive; thank you Charlotte for sharing.
Dee Williams says
My favourite amarretti recipe. I’ve made these a couple of times now as gifts and for Christmas and they are delicious. I add some finely grated lemon zest just to add a further dimension and cut the sweetness a little. Plus I push a blanched almond on the top before baking. Absolutely gorgeous!!!
Fiona says
Fantastic recipe been using last few years as gifts ☺️
Sean says
I reduced the amount of sugar, but other than that, this recipe is perfect.
Sophie Bradbury says
How long do they last after baking?
Charlotte Oates says
They’ll last about 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.
Pat Bramwell says
Fantastic and so easy
Yvonne says
Can you freeze these biscuits either before or after baking pkease
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, these can be frozen after baking.
Annoyed says
just stayed a batter. Never turned into dough i could roll in my hands despite following the recipe perfectly. I don’t think you know what a large egg white is.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that your dough was too wet. Unfortunately as eggs come from animals they are not uniform in size, it sounds as though yours were towards the larger end of large. They are classified together, but even within large the weight varies by 10g (and the weight of the white can vary even more). You can read all about the work I’ve done understanding variation in eggs sizes here:
Eggs: Does Size Matter?
Joaquim says
I have done it many times, and have used large eggs and medium eggs, every time came out perfect, crunchy inside and soft inside.
Eliza says
Absolutely delicious. Simple and elegant. Lovely bite sized biscuit. Completely authentic !
Jane Stewart says
Haven’t made them. But I’ve eaten them BEAUTIFUL
Sue says
Great recipe…worked just the way I wanted. I just had to adjust the almonds and sugar element to work with my large egg whites…but that worked fine. Delicious! Thank you
Bren says
Full proof recipe. Love them!! I’ve made them a few times before and they have been perfect.
This time I even reduced the sugar by a 3rd to make it a tad healthier. It was still good!
Thank you for a great recipe.
Ch says
Unbearably sweet !
Christine Barley says
Just use less sugar and roll in icing sugar.
I usually use granulated sugar but am giving castor sugar ago!
Favourite family biscuits so have to go easy on the amaretti.
Mary says
Absolutely beautiful, been looking for a recipe that produces this texture for ages. Will be my favourite.
I used almond essence instead of Amaretto, as giving them to little ones.
Paula says
So easy to make and absolutely delicious even if you don’t normally like almonds! So moorish…. lovely with coffee or with a fruit pudding.
Carol says
Absolutely delicious!! A quick and easy recipe, and my family love them.
christina tudor says
I’ve been using and sharing this recipe for a few years now. It is foolproof and delivers the best amaretti biscuits I’ve ever tasted.
Sally says
Fabulous. Made time and time again. Can not fault. Thank you so much x
Carolyn Williams says
These are lovely. Tried few recipes but this will be my go to now. So easy to make and delicious.