Mom also made a fancier cookie piped with a tube and a meringue-style crunchy recipe that's included in our recipe card!
The first chewy cookie is the easiest one and an all-time favorite cookie as a kid growing up and they sure would disappear as fast as mom would make them.
The cookies looked so pretty rolled in powdered sugar and sometimes around the holiday she would add either a whole almond in the middle or with green and red cherries.
These cookies are fantastic with a cup of espresso and sure to make anyone say "yum can I have this recipe".
Chocolate cookies are a family favorite like our grandma's old-fashioned chocolate spice cookies an old original recipe from the 1960s.
If you love the Amaretti cookies and are a chocolate lover you will love this version of our cookie.
These cookies are often found at an Italian wedding on a large tray along with several other Italian Wedding or Holiday Style Cookies.
The Chocolate Amaretti Cookies are super easy to make also in no time with just a few simple pantry ingredients to keep on hand like almond flour and we even love to make Homemade Amaretto used in this recipe.
Scroll down to the recipe card and don't forget to read my tips and suggestions.
Fancy Amaretti Made Easy
We just love adapting tried and true recipes to make life easier and mom's recipes never disappoint.
I also through the year collected large pastry tips and cookie presses to make these different shapes for the meringue style cookies but both recipes are so delicious and easy.
If you enjoy Italian cookies, this is a definite keeper for your collection.
The cookies are very plain looking so I will give some suggestions to dress them up before baking below.
These cookies are also not overly sweet.
Other Topping Suggestions (before baking):
- peanut butter chips
- mint chocolate chips
- chocolate chips
- whole or sliced almonds
- dried fruits like cranberries
- for Christmas, colors add chopped maraschino green and red cherries and white chocolate chips
- white, milk, and dark chocolate chunks
- coffee beans
- mint filled chocolate candies chopped
- chopped pistachios, pecans, macadamia nuts
- pumpkin seeds for nut allergies
- cookies cant be left plain, rolled in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, granulated sugar
- add coconut and flavored chocolate chips
Ingredients You Will Need (scroll down for exact measurements)
- cocoa powder
- espresso
- egg whites
- almond flour
- Amaretto or almond extract
- powdered sugar or/and granulated sugar
- Optional:
- whole almonds, see suggestions for topping before baking
Tips
- roll the cookies into balls by hand dropping with a tablespoons or teaspoon
- store these in airtight containers
- cool completely before eating they will harden as they cool off
- add both extract and Amaretto for a stronger almond flavoring
- use a lined cookie sheet or Silpat mat
- cookies can be rolled in granulated sugar or powdered sugar
- roll in some cinnamon sugar for a twist in flavors in the flavor
- these cookies do not freeze well in my opinion they lose their crunch
- for meringue style, recipes use a piping tool for even-sized Amaretti
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Try Some Other Recipes and Easy Dessert That Wow Everyone!
Here are more of our favorite cookie recipes:
24 One-Stop Cookie Shop
25 Holiday Cookies
Amaretti
As I said before you have two recipes to choose from the chewy cookies or the light as feather meringue-style cookies both delicious just the second one requires a piping tool or ziplock bag can be used.
Enjoy these authentic Italian Cookies recipes they are both delicious.
Authentic Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Yield: 30
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 24 Min
Chocolate Amaretti Cookies are small, crunchy, chewy-inside, macaroon-like cookies simple to make, and delicious! As a bonus, we also do a meringue-style crunchy recipe included!
Ingredients
- 4 cups almond flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large egg whites
- pinch of sea salt or table salt
- 2 teaspoons Amaretto or almond extract
- 2 tablespoons brewed espresso coffee
- powdered sugar or granulated sugar for rolling them in before baking
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the almond flour together in a large bowl with sugar and cocoa powder.
- In another bowl add egg whites, salt, Amaretto and whip using an electric mixer until stiff peaks start to form.
- Using a spatula fold the dry mixture into the egg white mixture until this forms a dough ( you can use your hands also).
- Roll the dough into balls.
- Place some powdered or granulated sugar in a paper plate or you can actually use both.
- Bake these on the prepared cookie sheets at 325 degrees preheated oven for around 15 minutes until they start to brown on the bottom.
- For Authentic Amaretti used in a piping bag meringue style here is the other recipe we enjoy!
- Authentic Chocolate Amaretti Cookies:
- 1 cup whole almonds
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 egg whites (I actually used the egg whites in the small carton they worked great!)
- 1 teaspoon Amaretto plus 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- powdered sugar to sprinkle on top
- Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 to 12 minutes..
- They should be golden brown.
- Place in the food processor with 1/4 cup of sugar and pulse till fine.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- Pour them into a bowl and stir in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
- Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl beat the 2 egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar beating well. Continue mixing until the whites are glossy and stiff.
- Beat in flavorings.
- Add the almond nut sugar mixture by gently folding it into the beaten egg whites just until blended.
- Spoon the mixture into a large pastry piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2 inch nozzle.
- Pipe 1 - 1/2 inch rounds about one inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Note: First fill a ziplock bag (if you do not have this piping tool) snip the end of a ziplock bag, then pipe the cookies on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are crisp.
- Cool then completely lift off the parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Notes:
Other Topping Suggestions (before baking):
- peanut butter chips
- mint chocolate chips
- chocolate chips
- whole or sliced almonds
- dried fruits like cranberries
- for Christmas, colors add chopped maraschino green and red cherries and white chocolate chips
- white, milk, and dark chocolate chunks
- coffee beans
- mint filled chocolate candies chopped
- chopped pistachios, pecans, macadamia nuts
- pumpkin seeds for nut allergies
- cookies cant be left plain, rolled in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, granulated sugar
- add coconut and flavored chocolate chips
Tips
- roll the cookies into balls by hand dropping with a tablespoons or teaspoon
- store these in airtight containers
- cool completely before eating they will harden as they cool off
- add both extract and Amaretto for a stronger almond flavoring
- use a lined cookie sheet or Silpat mat
- cookies can be rolled in granulated sugar or powdered sugar
- roll in some cinnamon sugar for a twist in flavors in the flavor
- not a fan of freezing these they lose their crunch
- for meringue style, recipes use a piping tool for even-sized Amaretti
Nutrition Facts
Calories
131.77Fat (grams)
7.48Sat. Fat (grams)
0.57Carbs (grams)
14.24Fiber (grams)
1.90Net carbs
12.34Sugar (grams)
11.47Protein (grams)
3.44Sodium (milligrams)
8.69Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
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More Favorite Recipes to Try
Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Spice Cookies
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2022.