i love lazzaroni amaretti di saronno! you may be familiar with this delicious italian amaretto almond cookie, which is wrapped in pretty florentine paper, nestled within an iconic red tin.

unfortunately, this italian import is pricey. so in my quest to replicate their splendor for less, i now use a simple recipe that comes “close enough” to the original biscuit. fortunately, they come together with just a few ingredients and so quickly, i’ve been able to wake up and make a batch to send off warm with our oldest before the school bus arrives that same morning.

the italian original are dark brown, made with amaretto liquor and completely crispy throughout. however, these amaretti cookies come out of the oven (and for a day or two afterwards) and have wonderful chewy centers. they will also become crunchier over time (like a biscotti) but are still quite delicious, none the less.

our entire family absolutely loves this version of the cookie!

i think they are a perfect way to accompany your morning coffee or tea and a delectable way to start the work day.

trader joe’s in the past has had the best price on almond flour. i stock up on a bag each time i make my monthly tj run to scottsdale from fountain hills as i have discovered one bag of almond flour can make three batches of cookies!

let’s get started, shall we? set your oven to heat to 300 F.

recipe:

these chewy, toothsome, delightful balls of sugary-almond-goodness come together using almond flour, granulated sugar, vanilla & almond extract, and egg whites.

you can simply add apricot jam to the dough if you want to make apricot amaretti and i’ll show you how you can achieve both versions with one batch of dough, below.

ready to begin?

here’s the recipe:

grab your stand mixer and use your wire attachment. add the almond flour and granulated sugar together, mixing well.

add your vanilla extract using a liquid measuring system

as well as your almond extract, to the flour/sugar mix.

mix the extracts together with the flour and sugar.

easily separate your egg whites from the yolks using an egg separator. (there are many versions to choose from and this is one cooking gadget purchase i’ve never, ever regretted!)

you can mix in your egg whites into the mixing bowl one at a time, or do like i do: i mix in two whites together, and while the mixer is mixing, i separate the third egg and then add the white to the mixing bowl.

when all of the egg whites have been added and incorporated completely, the cookie dough will become thick, sticky and glossy.

*if you want to make the apricot amaretti, you’d want to add the 3 tbsp of apricot jam once the third egg white has been mixed in, mixing in the jam until incorporated.

i’ve quickly grown fond of using a small melon baller to scoop out my cookie dough for this recipe, another clever cooking gadget i’m happily willing to make space for in the kitchen, as it makes uniform cookies and easily releases them on to the cookie sheet.

these cookies don’t spread in the oven while baking, so you can get more dough balls on the baking sheet without worry.

don’t forget to use parchment paper or a silicone slip mat under your cookies!

when i make these amaretti cookies, i dust the tops with red & white sparkling sugar. sparkling sugar is the large-grained decorative sugar and available in most grocery stores in the baking aisle. it doesn’t really melt in the oven at the low temperature you bake the cookies at and it adds an additional satisfying crunch to them. like it’s name, it provides a bit of glitz and it also helps you tell the baked cookies apart if you are splitting the batch of dough and making both amaretti & apricot amaretti cookies.

*for apricot amaretti cookies, i use the white (clear) sparkling sugar.

bake your cookies in the 300 F oven for 25-30 minutes or until just barely brown around the bottom edges. leaving the cookies in closer to 28-30 minutes will result in a crunchier exterior, but the centers will remain chewy no matter if you choose the shorter or long recommended baking time.

below, amaretti cookies (sans apricot jam) just out of the oven!

after you’ve removed your cookies from the oven, transfer them from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack.

the kitchen smells really good after the first batch of cookies!

two for one: if you want to split your one batch of cookie dough to make both types of cookies, bake a batch of amaretti cookies first, then add about 1 tbsp of apricot jam to the remaining dough and mix together.

just like you did earlier, measure the cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet. sprinkle with sparkling sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes.

because of the addition of the jam, apricot amaretti tend to be an overall softer-chewy cookie though they still hold their rounded shape.

um, what to do with those three egg yolks?

i have discovered some great small-batch cookie recipes online which call for single or double egg yolks. because we always have leftover pumpkin puree when making pumpkin & pancetta risotto, i’ve had great success making small-batch pumpkin cookies and include my third egg yolk, which makes a slightly richer cookie. you can find the recipe here, if you’re interested, along with her delicious small-batch cream cheese frosting. i can vouch for both recipes!

psst! amaretti cookies make a delicious and thoughtful gift and travel well through the mail, too.

well, if you and/or the family hasn’t eaten them all up before you get the chance to pack them up, that is.

if you make these, please let me know what you think in the comments below!

bon appetit!

xoxo,

darling