Soft Amaretti Cookies (Italian Recipe)
Updated Aug 18, 2025, Published Dec 02, 2021
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These Italian almond cookies have a slightly crunchy crust from the sugar meringue crust. The inside is deliciously soft and tender, yielding to chewy cookies, with a sweet almond flavor. Bonus: they are naturally gluten-free!
Every summer when we visit, my family always has a bag of these waiting for me from my favorite little shop. I grew up on these cookies, and I know you will love them too! I hope you create many happy memories by making them with you and yours.
Try my beloved recipes for Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Basic Italian Biscotti (Cantucci) Dough, or Simple Italian Wedding Cookies (Anginetti).
Made With Amore,
Ingredients for Soft Amaretti Cookies
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these traditional Italian almond cookies.
- Almond Flour: This naturally gluten free flour shines in these simple cookies! It’s easy to find at most supermarkets, or you can make your own by pulsing blanched almonds in a food processor until they are very fine. Use any leftover almond flour in torta caprese (chocolate almond cake).
- Egg Whites: Beaten egg whites brings a chewy, meringue-like quality to the amaretti cookies. If you have any leftover egg yolks, use them in Italian Pastry Cream (Crema Pasticcera).
- Almond Extract: This extract from bitter almonds enhances the almond flour’s natural flavor.
- Whole Almonds: Be sure to use blanched almonds (ones without skin) for the best presentation.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Different Flavors: Add orange zest instead of lemon zest, and add a touch of vanilla extract for a different flavor.
- Different Nuts: For a very different flavor and color, use a different type of finely ground nut instead of the almond flour, like pistachios or hazelnuts. I use this technique in my Italian pistachio cookies recipe.
How to Make Soft Amaretti Cookies
Follow these step-by-step photos for the best results. Find the full steps and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Whisk together the sugar, almond flour, lemon zest, and salt. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks form, then beat in the almond extract. Gradually fold the almond flour into the whipped egg whites; you should end up with a thick and sticky dough.
- Be careful not to overmix the cookie mixture! Shape the cookies with sugar-coated hands by rolling them into balls, or use a piping bag with a round nozzle to make small rounds on a parchment-lined sheet.
Top with a blanched almond and bake at 325°F until golden brown. Cool and enjoy! These soft amaretti (amaretti morbidi) cookies are my absolute favorite Italian cookie that is particular to the Sardinian region of Italy where I was born.
Recipe FAQs
The word amaretti (amaretto singular) are Italian cookies similar to macaroons that are made with sugar, sweet and bitter almonds, and egg whites. These cookies came about in Italy in the Middle Ages. Hard and crunchy (the most well-known) amaretti cookies come from Northern Italy. These soft amaretti cookies are from Sardegna (Sardinia) and are typical to that region of Italy, which is where I’m from.
Sardinian amaretti are flavored with lemon zest. In some cities of Sardinia, a whole almond is placed in the center of each amaretto. They are so unique and remind me of my childhood every time I make or eat them. They have an irresistible rich almond flavor. The surface of these chewy amaretti cookies has a slight crunch that I love! If you love Sardinian desserts, then you’ll love this Sardinian Pardulas recipe.
You can shape the amaretti cookies in two ways: by hand or with a pastry bag.
To do it by hand, use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to get a portion of the dough to roll into a ball. With slightly damp hands, press your palms into the plate of sugar. Roll each dough ball in the palms of your hands coated with sugar and then again in the sugar on the plate. Place on a lined baking sheet.
To use a pastry bag, place the batter into a pastry bag with a large round tip and make small rounds on prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle tops with sugar. (This is the way you see them in the photos here. In Sardegna, Italia, they make them similar to this with pretty peak tops. I like them both ways.)
Adding the almond on top is traditional in Italy. You do not have to add them, but they do add a special touch!
Amaretti is the plural form of the word amaretto. This Italian word means “bitter”, which refers to the bitter almonds used in these cookies.
These homemade Amaretti cookies have a long shelf life! They will last up to one month. This is what makes them so great. Store the cookies in an airtight container or tin box and enjoy them whenever you’d like.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these soft amaretti cookies with Authentic Thick Italian Hot Chocolate. If you’d like to give them as gifts, wrap them in little bags and create gifts for family and friends! Soft amaretti cookies with a chewy interior are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platter. They also make great hostess and neighbor gifts!
Looking for more Italian cookie recipes to round out a Christmas cookie plate or gift bag? Don’t miss my recipes for Italian Fig Cookies (Cucidati), Italian Butter Cookies, Italian Pignoli Cookies and these Spritz Cookies.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Separate the egg whites and yolks while the eggs are cold, then let the whites come to room temperature before beating. This will help them be more voluminous when beaten, improving the texture of the cookies.
- Be sure to handle the cookie mixture gently to keep as much air in it as possible. The perfect smooth texture and pretty cracks on the surface of these chewy amaretti cookies depend on incorporating exactly the right amount of egg whites into the ground almond mixture.
- Let the cookies cool on the parchment paper, then remove them from the paper. If you remove them from the paper while they are still warm, they may stick or break apart.
Other Italian Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
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Soft Amaretti Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, more for topping
- 3 egg whites, large eggs
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 36 almonds without skin, optional
- ½ cup sugar, on a plate for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Position rack in the center. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Whisk the almond flour and sugar together in a large bowl (or sift them instead). Add the grated lemon zest and salt and whisk a few more times; make sure there are no lumps or clumps. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to a soft peak stage. Whisk in the almond extract.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients. Once the dough is completely moist, you are done. Be careful not to overmix!
- Shape the cookies either with your hands or with a piping bag. To use your hands, use a tablespoon to get a portion of the dough. With slightly damp hands, press your palms into the plate of sugar. Roll each ball of dough with your sugar-coated palms and then again in the sugar found on the plate. Place on lined baking sheet. To use a piping bag, place the batter into a pastry bag with a 1 centimeter round tip and make small rounds on a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
- Gently place the whole almond in the center of the cookie if desired, then bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden brown in color. (You do not have to add the whole almond; you can bake without.)
- Cool on a cooling rack, then remove from the parchment and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Separate the egg whites and yolks while the eggs are cold, then let the whites come to room temperature before beating. This will help them be more voluminous when beaten, improving the texture of the cookies.
- Be sure to handle the cookie mixture gently to keep as much air in it as possible. The perfect smooth texture and pretty cracks on the surface of these chewy amaretti cookies depend on incorporating exactly the right amount of egg whites into the ground almond mixture.
- Let the cookies cool on the parchment paper, then remove them from the paper. If you remove them from the paper while they are still warm, they may stick or break apart.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can these be frozen and for how long
Yes! Up to 1 month.
Amazing recipe!! Have made two times now and they are delicious!!
Can recipe be doubled or tripled??
Thank you for sharing
I have doubled it and it works well! I have not tripled, but I assume it would work just fine! Thanks. This is one of my favorites!
Hi I was just wondering, when you say incorporate the egg whites into the flour mixture do you mean scoop out some of the egg whites and add to the bowl with the flour mixture? I always thought you add the flour into the egg whites so as not to disturb the eggs as much. If you can clarify that would be much appreciated. Thank you
You can actually do it either way, as long as you gently fold the egg whites and the flour together that is the most important. You can add the flour a little at a time and gently fold. Enjoy!
Thank you so much
Hi Elena,
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I made these yesterday & theyโre incredible!! I love the crunchiness from the outside & softnesses in the inside. Iโve made so many amaretti cookies but this is my new favourite. Theyโre so easy to make & I will definitely be making them again. Happy New Year!!
Happy you loved them!
I think I was a little too heavy-handed when I folded the flour into the egg whites because the texture was heavier than I expected. But the almondy, lemony flavor was delicious! Loved them!
Hi Marisa! They are an absolute favorite!!
Best cookies!
These are so good! They taste just like the ones I had in Calabria. I have been on the hunt to find an authentic recipe and this is the one!! Thank you!
Happy you love them! They are one of my very favorites ๐
Hi Elena,
I love these biscuits, but I noticed the conversion is slightly wrong. If you 2x it still shows 250g Almond Flour, the same as 1x.
Maybe it is easily corrected. Can’t wait to try your recipe. I make mine without lemon peel, but I add almond essence and vanilla to them.
Buon Natale ๐ค
Hi Nina! You are right. It only converts the first measurement it sees (in this case cups). If you change the scale to (M). It will convert it that way. In any case, if you double it- you will need 500 grams of almond flour. I hope you love them!
Elena