This gluten-free amaretti recipe (from taste.com.au) looked almost too easy to be true – egg whites, almond meal, caster sugar and vanilla – simply stirred together, shaped and baked. These aren’t the light, crisp amaretti that we used in Dorie’s Fifteen Minute Torte, but rather the chewy, marzipanny ones that you buy at Italian cafés. No mixer required, although you do need a strong wooden spoon – I managed to snap mine while stirring the mix together.
- 500g almond meal
- 400g caster sugar
- 4 large (59g) egg whites (keep the egg yolks for pasticcio or microwave custard)
- 1 Tbsp homemade vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 160C/320F (with fan).
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir the almond meal, sugar, egg whites and vanilla together – mix with a wooden spoon or a clean hand until the ingredients are well combined. At first, the mixture will appear too dry, but keep mixing and you’ll end up with a moist dough.
3. Roll into 2.5cm/1″ balls (about 2 teaspoonfuls of mix), place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and flatten each ball slightly. You should end up with about 70 cookies. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until lightly browned (don’t overcook). Cool briefly on trays and then transfer to a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
There’s something about marzipan that just so Christmassy – pack them in little cellophane bags or origami boxes for gifts, or simply keep a supply on hand for when friends drop around for coffee!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I’m a weirdo, I love ALMONDs but I’m not hot on frangipan or marzipan. So, these may be the test!
Not that weird, Oz, my husband Pete is the same! I think you either love marzipan or hate it, which is why I had to be clear in the recipe that about how they tasted! :)
One (or three) of those would go down quite nicely right now with my morning coffee….
This looks like heaven! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season too!
Celia – I love those biscuits and have always wanted to make them. Your recipe has cheered me up!
Glad you like them! The original recipe included pressing a glace cherry or blanched almond into the top of each cookie before baking, which would make them look even more festive!
Is almond meal ground almonds or something else?
I sometimes make Nigella’s recipe for ricciarelli which are similar.
Almond meal is ground almonds, although it usually refers to the stuff you buy pre-ground, rather than almonds you grind yourself at home (which tends to be coarser).
I am passing this one on to everyone I know! So easy and so fattening, who could ask for more?
I read up about apricot kernels, which are the traditional flavouring for these and the hard ones, but there seems to be controversy about the cyanide content of these, so maybe steer clear of them? Have you any thoughts? I know that all pips and kernels of stone fruits have a small quantity of cyanide in them, but they do add a delicious bitterness to the taste.
Hahaha…yes, they’re not exactly diet food!
I’m a bit nervy about apricot kernels, so I don’t grind them up and add them to cookies and jams as recipes often suggest. Having said that, they sell them in the health food stores here!
Could I make these ahead and freeze them? (Amaretti.) I am looking for some freezable gluten-free cakes or biscuits to have on hand over the Christmas New Year period.
I froze some on the day I posted the recipe and have just defrosted some to check on them – they’re fine! :)
[…] recipe is thanks to Joanna at ZebBakes, in turn from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial and we used it to try out our new Amaretto di Saronno Lazzaroni essence. It is a really, really […]
[…] are based on the ones that Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial introduced me to last year and they are incredibly popular […]
Can I replace the vanilla extract with Amaretto liquor instead to give it a more almondy taste?
I think that would work! :)
[…] gluten free and ready in 20 minutes. Like quite a few of my recipes, this one is from Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Ready for […]