Ever wondered what makes the perfect festive treat? Meet our Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti cookies – the ultimate Italian cherry cookie that’s taking every holiday table by storm. Picture this: each bite of our Cherry Amaretti is a play of textures – a crinkly, sugar-dusted exterior giving way to a chewy heart, bursting with cherry bits and a rich almond essence. These cookies aren’t just a delight to taste; they’re a feast for the senses, perfect for celebrations, cozy gatherings, or just a special treat for yourself. Let’s dive into why these chewy cherry almond sensations are your next baking adventure!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Bakery Style Italian Cherry Amaretti Cookies Recipe
- Flourless Magic: Dive into the delightful world of baking with no flour in sight, making these treats a gluten-free wonder.
- Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor: Easily available ingredients combine to create a taste that’s anything but ordinary.
- Gluten-Free Goodness: Perfect for those with dietary restrictions without compromising on taste.
- Foolproof Recipe: An easy-to-follow guide ensures baking success every time.
- Light and Airy Delight: Each cookie is a cloud of almond-infused joy.
- Chewy Centers, Crisp Shells: Experience the delightful contrast in every bite.
- Almond Aroma: The bold almond flavor will fill your kitchen with a comforting, inviting scent.
- Perfect for Stacking and Gifting: Their stackable nature makes them ideal for thoughtful and delicious gifting.
- Versatile for Every Occasion: Celebrate birthdays, holidays, and ‘just because’ moments with these delightful cookies.
- The Cappuccino Companion: Elevate your coffee break with a cookie that’s meant to be dipped and savored.”
Kitchen Essentials Needed To Make Italian Cherry Almond Cookies
If you are wondering what you need to make these delectable cookies, I am about to share that! These are easy and I assure you they turn out perfect each time!
- Large Mixing Bowl + Hand Mixer or
- Stand Mixer
- Spatula
- cookie scoop (optional)
- Cookie Trays
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats
- Cooling Rack
- Coffee Mill (optional)
- Small Bowl
- Food Processor
I alternate between silicone baking mats and parchment paper.
Pro Tip For Parchment Paper vs. Silicon Mats & Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti
The main reason that I use silicone paper when I am making the amaretti cookies with cherry more often than parchment paper: when you are pressing cookies to indent or flatten with a glass, the mat won’t rise up and not release (unlike parchment paper that is light and moves when you set a cookie on it).
Of course, unlike parchment paper that you can toss out, silicone mats will need to be washed but they are priceless for not lifting.
Plus, I will add this little sidenote about silicone baking mats: there is NO need to spend on the brand name, when there are plenty of ‘off-brand’ that do as well and sometimes IMO better than the brand itself.
Ingredients For Your Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti Cookies
Again, the beauty of this recipe is built around the simple ingredients, nothing funky here! Rather, everyday items you can find on the retailer’s shelves without traipsing all over town!
- Amaretto Liqueur
- cream of tartar
- baking powder and baking soda
- Almond flour
- almond slivers
- red cherries
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
You’ll find that my recipe for Italian cherry almond amaretti provides a delicate balance of both nuttiness and sweetness.
Now let’s keep rolling and I am sharing how you will create these amazing crisp and chewy cookies, that almost are macaron-like, but better!
How To Make Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti
Step 1: Important STEP Before Making Cherry Almond Italian Cookies
You will start by milling the sugar that you will dip the rolled amaretti cookies with cherry into. After you will be preparing a bowl of confectioner’s sugar as well and set that aside.
Step 2: Prep The Cherries For The Almond Flavored Italian Cookies
Place the cherries into the food processor and pulse to create bits of cherries rather than large chunks.
Step 3 Dry Ingredients For The Italian Cherry Cookies
Place all of the dry ingredients into 1 mixing bowl and set it aside.
Step 4: Egg White Prep For Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti
The egg whites and cream of tartar, and this is the most important part of the recipe IMO. You’ll mix the egg whites until they are stiff, yet you don’t want to overmix them so keep an eye on what you are doing!
Step 5 Combining Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti Ingredients
Once you have the egg whites beaten stiff, you’ll then mix the other ingredients in by hand.
Step 6: Finishing the Batter For the Italian Cherry Cookies
Fold in the fold in the almonds and the cherries and distribute evenly without over-mixing at which point you should create a mound.
You will not use a mixer, you will use your hands and fold the almond and cherries in.
Step 7: Scoop The Italian Cherry Cookie Batter To Baking Trays
Using a cooking scoop, you will form a ball and then pop it into the palm of your hands and roll it a bit tighter into a ball.
Step 8: Sugar Coat The Italian Cherry Almond Cookies
Take each ball and roll quickly and lightly through sugar mixtures. First into the very light milled sugar, then into the powdered sugar.
Place each ball onto the tray, spacing about 1″ apart and lightly pressing the ball into a slightly pressed cookie.
Step 9: Tray Up The Cherry Almond Italian Cookies
Place the tray on the bottom rack, and allow it to bake without OPENING the oven to prevent temperature loss.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, the tops will crack further and may appear moist, but the bottoms will be just very lightly brown, take them out.
Allow these amaretti to SIT On the silicone matted baking tray for at least 5 minutes to let them set up.*OPTIONAL: For those that prefer an all-crunchy cookie, let them bake 5 minutes past this time.
Are you looking for a great sesame cookie? Try my Biscotti Regina
Swoon-Worthy Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti
I am quite sure that you’ll swoon over these Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti. Their delicate appearance definitely might fool you into thinking that they need to be handled with care.
However, the exterior of these Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti is deceiving.
Now a quick look at the bottom of the cookie so you are sure you did not over or underbake the crisp and chewy holiday cookies that actually can be made any time of the year.
Now here’s a glance at the top of the cherry amaretti so you see the perfect crinkles!
Want Amaretti without cherries? Here’s my other recipe!
Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti Tips
I do suggest a few items, so I’ll share what I always have on hand when I make my cookies, really any cookie recipe.
You don’t have to have them, but each sure does make a difference in cleanup and prep or vice versa!
Eggs & Issues (tips to solve this)
- First and foremost large eggs are best for this recipe.
- If you need to sub in a different size use this egg substitution chart.
- To get egg whites without hassle you will want to work with cold eggs, they work the best
- Last and most importantly eliminate the Amaretto Liqueur.
Overview Almond flavored Italian Cookies
- Don’t use maraschino cherries for this recipe it changes the dough. Instead, use the candied cherries as suggested.
- Do not mix where I state FOLD or you will also create a dough flop (been there, done that).
- Don’t skip the sugaring bowl before baking or your cookies won’t look like these!
- Allow the almond-flavored Italian cookies to cool before transferring them to a cooling rack (about 10 minutes).
- If you try to eat one of these crips and chewy cookies at the 10-minute time point, do consider the cherry bits might be extra hot yet and you might scald your tongue, LOL (I might have done this a few times!)
Recipe for Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti
Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti Recipe
Italian Cherry Almond Amaretti are a year-round cookie staple. These are easy to make and the taste is undeniable and yummy!
Perfect for any party, graduations, holidays, showers, Easter birthdays, 4th of July, Mother's Day, and Father's Day!
Ingredients
- 6 Large Egg Whites (room temperature)
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar,
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 C + 1/4 C Finely Ground Sugar, mill it (transitioning granulated to powder-like) (set 1/4 c aside)
- 4 teaspoons Almond Extract
- 4 Tablespoons of Amaretto Liqueur
- 2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 6 cups + 1 Tablespoon of Almond Flour, not almond meal
- 1/2 C unsalted dry toasted almond slivers
- 2 oz Red Cherries, holiday fruit Pennant brand is what I use ground
- Topping Before Baking Ingredients
- 1/4 c of milled granulated sugar
- 1/4 c of Powdered Sugar
- 2 smaller shallow bowls for rolling in
Instructions
- Mill your sugar (3 C + 1/4 C Finely Ground Sugar) in either a food processor or coffee mill to get that finely ground sugar
- Set aside, 1/4 C of sugar of the milled sugar for coating cookies before baking
- Now fill one bowl with the confectioner's sugar and then set it aside for coating cookies as well.
- In a food processor, chop/grind the cherries and set them aside.
- Preheat oven to 325° F
- Prepare baking trays with silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside.
- Large Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer
- Combine egg whites* and cream of tarta
- Mix to stiff, without over-mixing.
- Once egg whites are stiff it's time to add in the other ingredients by hand.
- Fold in: sugar, salt, almond extract, Amaretto, and then the flour mixture.
- Using a rubber scraper initially to incorporate all ingredients.
- Next, fold in the almonds and the cherries and distribute evenly without over-mixing.
- Then create a mound.
- Using a teaspoon, create a scoop and place it in your hand, rolling to a 1" ball. (or use a cookie scoop)
- Take each ball and roll quickly and lightly through sugar mixtures.
- First into the very light milled sugar, then into the powdered sugar.
- Place each ball onto the tray, spacing about 1" apart and lightly pressing the ball into a slightly pressed cookie.
- Just lightly press on each, enough that the cookie will crack while baking.
- Place the tray on the bottom rack, and allow it to bake without OPENING the oven to prevent temperature loss.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes, the tops will crack further and may appear moist, but the bottoms will be just very lightly brown, take them out.
- Allow these amaretti to SIT On the silicone matted baking tray for at least 5 minutes to let them set up.
- *OPTIONAL: For those that prefer an all-crunchy cookie, let them bake 5 minutes past this timing.
- Next transfer cookies to the cooling tray for at least 15 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- I doubt they will last that long.
Notes
*See blog post for egg tip
The batter for the cookies
You must whip the egg whites for about 7 minutes to get them to a peak.
Stiff, but not over-whipped is key to this recipe.
Yes, I did use alcohol, you do not have to use it in your recipe.
Sugar And Process for Italian Amaretti Cookies
Even as a pro-baker, I don't keep a powdery-like granulated sugar in my home.
Creating a powder-like sugar that I use for quick coating (the cookies I make) is important.
I make it on demand always for recipes and honestly, this is ONE you must try it on.
But I also use this sugar to make the cookie.
The result of this milled sugar is a lighter cookie.
Why? The milled longer sugar is powdery (not CONFECTIONER'S Powder) and that results in it dissolving more quickly.
Because there are just a few recipes that really need this (at least the ones I bake) and I can make my own and I do always.
Just toss the sugar amount you need into a coffee mill (that does not have any leftover taste or is reserved just for baking).
Alternatively, a food processor can do this.
You are taking the sugar from more granular to a more powder-like consistency and it's fast and easy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 49Unsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 11gSugar: 11g
With roots in Sicily and Rome, Dana combines her family’s culinary heritage with her experience as a travel writer and chef to create authentic Italian recipes. Drawing from time in Italy, cherished Nonna’s recipes, and her expertise with modern kitchen appliances, she simplifies traditional Italian cooking. Dana’s approach keeps the authentic flavors and tastes intact, offering easy yet genuine Italian dishes for everyday cooking.
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