Amaretti Italian Almond Cookies Food

AMARETTI ITALIAN ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Put the almonds and 2 cups sugar in a pestle and mortar or food processor and grind to a fine powder.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg whites. Add 1/2 cup sugar, almond extract and vanilla and beat until you have a stiff shiny mixture. Fold in ground almonds.
• Put the dough into a pastry bag with a small round nozzle. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil. Force the dough through the nozzle into 1 1/2-inch rounds. Sprinkle each macaroon with about 1/4 teaspoon confectioners' sugar.
• Bake in a preheated slow oven (150 C, 300 F) for about 30 minutes, or until macaroons just turn golden.

CHEWY AMARETTI (ITALIAN ALMOND COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar. Stir in the Amaretto and almond extracts.
• Add the almond flour and stir until combined. Stir in the flour and baking powder until a firm dough is formed.
• Shape scant tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball. Lightly dredge in the powdered sugar, shaking off excess sugar. Place on baking sheet and top with an almond or maraschino cherry, if desired. Continue with remaining dough.
• Bake for approximately 15 minutes until lightly browned underneath and the tops of the cookies are crackled. Cool on a rack before serving.

AMARETTI - ITALIAN CHEWY ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• If you're using whole peeled almonds, toast them in the oven until lightly brown. This will give a darker color and more bright flavor to amaretti.
• Once almonds reach desired color, cool them completely.
• Pulse almonds and bitter apricot kernels (if you opt to use those as in traditional Italian recipe) with sugar in a food processor as finely as you can.
• NOTE: if you are using almond flour, use confectioners sugar instead of regular sugar. This way you don't need to use a food processor. Simply mix everything in the bowl.
• Add almond extract.
• Beat egg white with a pinch of salt until completely white and fluffy.
• Start to fold egg white into sugar and almond mix. Add a couple of table spoons at a time. You should reach silky and stiff consistency of the cookie dough. NOTE: You may not need to use all egg whites, just enough to get the dough together.
• Sprinkle work surface with some powdered/confectioners sugar.
• Pinch off some dough and roll it into ⅔ of an inch rope.Using a dough scraper cut the rope into ⅔ of an inch pieces.
• Roll each "pillow" giving it a ball shape (size of a walnut) and roll it in generous amount of confectioners sugar.
• Place each cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Decorate with an almond nut (optional).
• Bake in preheated to 350F oven for 12-15 minutes, just until inside the crinkles amaretti become lightly brown.

CHOCOLATE AMARETTI

Steps:

• Crumble almond paste into a food processor; add sugar and pulse until evenly combined. Add egg whites and process until incorporated. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; gradually add to almond mixture and mix well., Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° until tops are cracked, 17-20 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

ITALIAN AMARETTI COOKIES

Steps:

• 1.Position the oven rack so that it is at the bottom of the oven.
• 2.Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
• 3.Check that your ground almonds are as fine as possible. You can always pass them through a blender to make sure.
• 4.In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, salt and sugar, mixing well with a fork.
• 5.Next mix in the eggs (all at once - no need to beat in advance), and almond essence.
• 6.Line two cookie sheet with baking paper, and using a tablespoon, make round balls of cookie dough and place them on the baking sheet (leaving 2cm of space between each).Press either an almond or pistachio onto thetop of ech cookie.
• 7.Cook for 10 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven, then move the rack to the middle of the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.Leave to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes.
• 8.Using a small sieve, sprinkle each cookie with a light dust of powder (icing) sugar.

AMARETTI ITALIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix chopped almonds, 2 cups white sugar, and cocoa powder together in a bowl; add eggs and almond extract and stir until batter is well mixed. Form teaspoonfuls of batter into small balls.
• Place 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and roll balls in the sugar. Press a finger into the center of each ball, making an indentation. Place 1 almond in each indentation. Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.

BONNIE'S AMARETTI COOKIES

Steps:

• Line three baking sheets with Silpat baking mats.
• Grind almonds with granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor until fine. Transfer to a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add almond extract. Gently stir egg-white mixture into almond mixture to form a thick paste.
• Drop dough in rounded teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and let stand at room temperature to dry for 2 hours.
• Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 300 degrees. Transfer sheets to oven, and bake amaretti until edges are golden and cookies are firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

TRUE AMARETTI

Steps:

• Beat egg whites with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add sugar and almond extract, continuing to beat until very stiff peaks form. Switch to the paddle attachment and mix in almond meal until dough comes together.
• Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 3 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Pour confectioners' sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll cookie dough into small balls and coat with confectioners' sugar. Arrange on the baking sheets.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly browned and firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

ITALIAN AMARETTI BISCUITS (COOKIES)

Steps:

• Combine the ground almonds with sugar, egg whites, vanilla and almond essence and mix well in small bowl of electric mixer.
• Beat mixture on medium speed for 3mins.
• Allow mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
• Prepare trays by lightly greasing and dusting with a little flour. Shake off excess flour.
• Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (1/2") plain tube.
• Pipe in a circular motion from centre to make biscuits 4cm (11/2") in diameter onto prepared trays.
• Place a blanched almond on top of each biscuit.
• Bake in a moderate oven 350'F/180'C for 12-15 mins or until tops are lightly browned.
• Leave on tray a few minutes before removing with a spatula to cool on a wire rack.