What are amaretti biscuits?
Amaretti are Italian almond cookies, and the name comes from the Italian word for “bitter,” a nod to the slightly bitter almond flavor. They come in two main styles:
- Crisp amaretti: dry, crunchy, and light, often sold in paper-wrapped pairs. These are the type most often crushed for desserts.
- Soft amaretti: chewy and moist inside with a slightly crisp surface, similar to many homemade almond cookies.
Traditional recipes use ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, sometimes with a small amount of bitter almond or apricot kernel for the characteristic taste. Many home recipes substitute almond extract, since it is easier to find. Both styles work in desserts, though crisp ones hold their shape better when crushed.
Desserts made with amaretti
Amaretti are useful because they add almond flavor and crunch, or soften into a cake-like layer when moistened. Common ideas include:
- Baked stuffed peaches (pesche ripiene): halved peaches filled with crushed amaretti, a little sugar, and sometimes cocoa or butter, then baked until tender.
- Apricot and amaretti cream: crushed biscuits layered with whipped cream or mascarpone and poached or fresh apricots, a quick no-bake pudding (our vanilla pudding parfaits use a similar layering idea).
- Tiramisu-style desserts: amaretti replace or supplement ladyfingers, dipped briefly in coffee or fruit juice.
- Trifle and parfait layers: crumbled amaretti between cream and fruit.
- Cheesecake or tart crusts: crushed amaretti mixed with melted butter and pressed into a pan.
- Bonet: a Piedmont-style baked pudding that traditionally includes amaretti, cocoa, and caramel.
- Ice cream and semifreddo toppings: crumbled over vanilla, chocolate, or coffee ice cream, or folded into a frozen cream base. A meringue-based version works well; see our guide to Italian meringue desserts.
- Cake filling or topping: sprinkled over a fruit cake or folded into whipped cream for a layer cake.
Baked amaretti-stuffed peaches
This is a simple, forgiving dessert for summer.
- Heat the oven to about 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Halve 4 ripe peaches and remove the pits, widening the hollows slightly with a spoon.
- Crush around 8 amaretti biscuits and mix with a tablespoon or two of sugar, a small pinch of cinnamon or cocoa if you like, and a little soft butter.
- Fill the peach halves and arrange them in a baking dish with a splash of wine, juice, or water.
- Bake until the peaches are tender and the filling is golden, usually around 25 to 35 minutes depending on ripeness.
Serve warm with cream or mascarpone. For a tangy twist, spoon over a little creme fraiche.
Make your own amaretti (almond flour cookies)
If you cannot find biscuits locally, or want a gluten-free almond cookie, you can make a soft version at home. This is a typical formula; adjust to your oven.
Ingredients
- 200 g (2 cups) fine almond flour
- 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar, for rolling
Method
- Heat the oven to about 160 degrees C (325 degrees F) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the almond flour, sugar, and extract until combined. The dough should be sticky but scoopable. If it is too wet, add a spoonful of almond flour.
- Scoop small balls, roll them in powdered sugar, and place them on the tray with some space between them.
- Bake until lightly golden and set at the edges, typically around 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool on the tray before moving, since they firm up as they cool.
Lemon zest, orange zest, or a few chopped almonds on top are easy variations. Because almond flour is the base, the cookies are naturally free of wheat flour. If you are baking for someone with a gluten allergy, check labels on every ingredient and avoid cross-contact.
Do amaretti biscuits have alcohol in them?
Most amaretti biscuits are flavored with almonds or almond extract rather than alcohol. However, “amaretti” is easy to confuse with “amaretto,” the almond liqueur. Some recipes use amaretto liqueur to flavor amaretti, and some commercial products may contain alcohol-based flavorings or be soaked in liqueur. If this matters to you, check the ingredient list on the package.
Where to buy amaretti biscuits
Amaretti are available at many supermarkets with an international aisle, at Italian delis, and from specialty food retailers online. When shopping, look at the ingredients: shorter lists with almonds, sugar, and egg white generally indicate a more traditional product. If you buy online, check whether the biscuits are crisp or soft, because that affects how you can use them.
What are Italian knot cookies?
Italian knot cookies are a different cookie from amaretti. They are soft, lightly sweet cookies shaped into a knot and often finished with a simple glaze or sprinkles, with flavors such as lemon or anise. They share the Italian cookie tradition but do not rely on almond. If you enjoy butter cookie styles, you might also like our guide to sable in baking.
Tips and storage
- Store crisp amaretti in an airtight container so they stay crunchy.
- Store homemade soft amaretti in a sealed container for a few days. They are best the day after baking.
- For no-bake desserts, dip the biscuits briefly; they soften quickly in liquid. Our Italian biscuit cake and Italian amaretto cream cake show the idea in cake form.
- For more European almond-based ideas, see our guide to nut torte recipes.