Amaretti – 4 Flavours

OCTOBER 14, 2020
Edited to correct typos on March 17, 2021
[ SKIP TO RECIPE ]
There are various almond cookies from different parts of the world.

Amaretti is Italy’s version, which happens to be naturally maak-free. This is a cookie that my mother enjoys very much. It will always bring back the memory of us travelling together in Italy, where my mother bought the largest bag of freshly made amaretti I’ve ever encountered (not maak-free due to cross contamination) from a bakery in Venice.

I’ve made the classic amaretti for many years. It is one of those few gluten-free things I make that everyone enjoys. Recently, I happened to have 4 unused egg whites leftover from making Pasteis de Nata. I did not have almond flour that’s fresh enough for making macarons, and so I decided to experiment making amaretti cookies in different flavours. I utilized ingredients that are commonly found at my home – sesame seeds, a wide range of green tea leaves and rice.

There are various almond cookies from different parts of the world.

Amaretti is Italy’s version, which happens to be naturally maak-free. This is a cookie that my mother enjoys very much. It will always bring back the memory of us travelling together in Italy, where my mother bought the largest bag of freshly made amaretti I’ve ever encountered (not maak-free due to cross contamination) from a bakery in Venice.

I’ve made the classic amaretti for many years. It is one of those few gluten-free things I make that everyone enjoys. Recently, I happened to have 4 unused egg whites leftover from making Pasteis de Nata. I did not have almond flour that’s fresh enough for making macarons, and so I decided to experiment making amaretti cookies in different flavours. I utilized ingredients that are commonly found at my home – sesame seeds, a wide range of green tea leaves and rice.

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SESAME SEEDS

I toasted whole black sesame seeds on a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it smelled aromatic, stirring occasionally. After they cooled for about 5 minutes, I ground them into a course meal with a mortar and pestle. You can use store bought ground sesame or sesame meal. I like the black ones because they give a nice colour to the cookies.

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MATCHA

I have some second harvest matcha I got from Ippodo Tea. They are perfect for cooking and baking! If you have premium first harvest matcha, I’d suggest saving that for drinking. Don’t waste it on baked goods. I got hooked on Ippodo Tea when I first tried them at their main store In Kyoto. You can purchase their product online.

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GENMAICHA

A roasted rice green tea, very similar to hojicha, but has a slightly sweeter taste from the rice. I used tea leave mix from Ippodo Tea, as well. I toasted and added jasmine rice to enhance the roasted flavour. I ground down genmaicha tea leaves and toasted rice in a mortar and pestle, then sieved it with a tea strainer to catch all the larger pieces. Discard that pieces that are caught in the strainer as they are too bitter and interrupts the chewy cookies. I got the idea from Khao Khua, a Thai toasted-rice powder that are often added into Thai and Laotian salads. You can use store bought genmaicha powder if it is accessible.

_
SESAME SEEDS

I toasted whole black sesame seeds on a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it smelled aromatic, stirring occasionally. After they cooled for about 5 minutes, I ground them into a course meal with a mortar and pestle. You can use store bought ground sesame or sesame meal. I like the black ones because they give a nice colour to the cookies.

_
MATCHA

I have some second harvest matcha I got from Ippodo Tea. They are perfect for cooking and baking! If you have premium first harvest matcha, I’d suggest saving that for drinking. Don’t waste it on baked goods. I got hooked on Ippodo Tea when I first tried them at their main store In Kyoto. You can purchase their product online.

_
GENMAICHA

A roasted rice green tea, very similar to hojicha, but has a slightly sweeter taste from the rice. I used tea leave mix from Ippodo Tea, as well. I toasted and added jasmine rice to enhance the roasted flavour. I ground down genmaicha tea leaves and toasted rice in a mortar and pestle, then sieved it with a tea strainer to catch all the larger pieces. Discard that pieces that are caught in the strainer as they are too bitter and interrupts the chewy cookies. I got the idea from Khao Khua, a Thai toasted-rice powder that are often added into Thai and Laotian salads. You can use store bought genmaicha powder if it is accessible.

Amaretti – 4 Flavours

YEILD: 12 TO 14 COOKIES
 
INGREDIENTS

Base

  • 32g of egg whites, room temperature (from 1 large egg)
  • 93g of almond flour
  • 80g of granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Glaze Ingredients

  • Classic: 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract + 1/8 tsp of almond extract
  • Matcha: 2/3 tbsp of matcha + 1 tsp of lemon juice
  • Sesame: 2 tbsp of ground sesame + 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
  • Gemaicha: 1 tbsp of Gemaicha powder + 1/2 tbsp of roasted rice powder + 1/2 tsp of lemon juice

Coating

  • 3 tbsp of granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp of icing sugar
 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients in the base section (almond flour, sugar, salt) and the flavour section, if applicable, of your chosen flavour (ground/powder ingredients). I like to mix it with a whisk for at least 1 minute to make sure all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients in the coating section. Set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric whisk or by hand until soft peaks form. When you turn the whisk side up, the egg white should hold a peak while the tip of the peak folds over a little.
  4. When the egg whites reach the soft peak stage, add the wet ingredient in the flavour section of your chosen flavour (extracts and/or juice) and whisk until it is incorporated into the whipped egg whites. This should only take no more than 10 seconds.
  5. Fold in half of the whipped egg whites into the almond mixture. Once most of the egg whites are incorporated, fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.
  6. Using a spoon, scoop and shape dough into 1.5” balls. Coat the dough balls in the sugar and icing sugar mixture. One batch of dough should make about 12-14 cookies (depending on size). Place the coated dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Make sure to space them about 1.5 inches apart. With two or three fingers together, gently press down each dough ball so they are slightly flatten. This will enhance the crackle look and create a more evenly chewy cookie when baked.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes. The cookies will be very soft when fresh out of the oven. Let them cool and firm up in the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Over-baking will result in very hard cookies.
    Store in air tight container for up to 3 days. But they probably will be all eaten by then.
  9. Feel free to double up the recipes to make more! I’ve quadrupled this recipes to make all four flavours. You can whip all the egg whites at the same time and divide it into 4 equal portions by weight measured with a scale.

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