Italian cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Amaretti di Saronno

Light almond macaroons made from whipped egg whites and ground almonds, cracked and crisp outside and soft-chewy inside.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 300 g ground almonds
• 250 g sugar
• 110 g egg whites
• 1 tsp bitter almond extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 100 g powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Mix the ground almonds thoroughly with the sugar and bring the egg whites to room temperature ahead of time so they whip up better.
2. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the lemon juice until stiff, glossy peaks form.
3. Fold the almond-sugar mixture together with the bitter almond extract into the whites in three batches until a stiff, moldable dough forms — do not stir, or the mixture will collapse.
4. With damp hands, form walnut-sized balls, roll generously in powdered sugar, and place spaced apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Let the balls dry uncovered for 30 min until a dry skin forms — this is what gives amaretti their characteristic cracks.
6. Bake in the preheated oven at 160°C top/bottom heat for 18–20 min until pale beige and cracked, let cool on the sheet, and store in a tin.