Ingredients and yield
Yield: approximately 36 small biscuits.
- 288 g almond flour
- 131 g granulated sugar
- 43 g icing sugar, plus more for coating
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Method
- Combine almond flour, both sugars and salt uniformly.
- Add egg whites and almond extract and mix to a cohesive sticky paste; this is not macaron batter and should not be macaronaged.
- Portion evenly, roll in icing sugar and arrange with space on lined trays.
- Bake at 163°C / 325°F until cracked and lightly coloured while the centres remain tender, approximately 25–30 minutes depending on size.
- Cool fully before storage; the centre firms as it cools.
Texture and variations
Amaretti are an Italian almond-and-egg-white biscuit family spanning soft, chewy amaretti morbidi and dry crisp styles. The recipe below makes the soft style, with a chewy centre.
French macarons have a smooth piped almond-meringue shell and a foot, formed through macaronage. Soft amaretti have a different paste and a chewy centre; I keep the two methods separate rather than looking for macaron feet on an amaretto.
What I watch closely
- Weigh egg white where consistency matters; egg size changes paste stiffness.
- Do not add enough liquid to turn the paste into pipeable macaron batter.
- Portion uniformly so the centres retain comparable softness.
- Avoid deep browning, which dries the almond paste and obscures its aromatic profile.