While I am dreaming of a white Xmas – which, let’s face it does not look likely – I have decided to make myself a tray of snow-covered cookies instead 🙂 . They are my eggless take on the famous Italian almond cookies amaretti morbidi, except that morbidi does not mean what you probably think it does. It simply means ‘soft’ as, like their traditional counterparts, they are soft and chewy on the inside and a touch crispy on the outside. Heaven! Especially with a cup of good black coffee!
Traditionally these almond cookies rely heavily on eggs, but the longer I am a vegan chef (although I never tend to think of myself as such, I am simply a fussy 😛 amateur cook who enjoys a bit of creative tinkering), the more I am convinced that anything non-vegans can eat, we can eat too.
In this recipe, my trusted old friend aquafaba has done all the heavy lifting and while it’s been ages since I had the original version, I honestly don’t think anyone would be able to tell that these are vegan. Once I refined the recipe, I was thrilled with how they came out and they are now officially part of my Xmas cookie repertoire. They also make a gorgeous Xmas present and I could bet that the recipient would think that you got them in some fancy Italian deli in town.
- 200 g / 2 cups ground almonds / almond flour
- 125 g / ½ cup + 2 tbsp caster sugar*
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 75 ml / ¼ cup + 1 tbsp aquafaba*
- ½ tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla paste or extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- icing sugar, to coat (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° F and line a large baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground almonds, sugar and baking powder.
- Place the aquafaba (use only 60 ml / ¼ cup if using amaretto*) and lemon juice in a spotlessly clean bowl – even the tiniest grease residue will inhibit the aquafaba from reaching stiff peaks.
- Whip the aquafaba with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form – you need to be able to invert the bowl over your head and the mixture should not move at all.
- Gently fold in 2 tbsp of whipped aquafaba into the mixture and then fold the rest in gently.
- Add Amaretto (if using), vanilla paste and almond extract. Mix really well.
- Form the mixture into balls (I made fifteen 26 g / 0.9 oz balls) and roll them in the icing sugar.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking tray, making sure you leave enough space between them. You can leave them as they are, or gently flatten them a little with your palm. The former look cuter (I think), but the latter get a crispier shell once baked.
- Bake for about 17 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and cracked in places. Allow them to cool completely to crisp up and become less fragile.
- Store them in an airtight jar for up to 5 days.
*I personally think that 125 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) of sugar is enough, but if you would like them sweeter, use a couple of tablespoons more. I have noticed that traditional amaretti recipes that use eggs, also use more sugar.
Sounds like you like them a little sweeter, which can easily be adjusted as per my notes under the recipe. No other reader found them insufficiently sweet and neither do I so perhaps you are simply used to sweeter desserts. Using amaretto, extract and lemon juice is absolutely fine. I worry that you've used xylitol instead of sugar, which is maybe we they came out a bit different to what you expected? Amaretti rely on sugar not just for sweetness but also structure. Hope this helps! Ania
I found them really sweet... I used 1/2 cup + only 1 tbs of caster sugar (super fine sugar for Americans) and a bit more of Ameretto, the taste was better like this in my opinion. The biggest issue (and my oven is new) was the time, 17, 18 minutes was not enough time for my cookies, they were not 'golden', so watch them carefully. For me 20 minutes was the right time in the oven.
Thank you for this recipe, I LOVE IT !
Thank you, I am so happy to hear that you and all your giftees enjoyed these cookies. I have not tried making them this far in advance, but I think the key thing would be to lock them away from moisture in an air-tight box. How about freezing them before or after baking instead? I would say the former would be the safest thing to do. Hope this helps! x Ania
If you want a delicious treat, bake these. If you want to be the most popular person amongst your friends, bake these. If you want to feel like a kitchen goddess who could rule the world should she wish, bake these.
I followed the recipe exactly as it is. Beautiful. The only thing I changed the baking time. I baked for 20 min and mine are still a little paler than the ones pictured on the website. Obviously I need to fine tune this. Only little question I had was the cooling part. I took them out of the oven once baking time finished. Should I have left them in there longer with oven switched off?
I’ll be making these again for Christmas- I am sure they will be a hit! Thank you so much for this recipe!
The amaretti cookies were delicious and the family loved them.
Thanks
Had been looking for a eggless option, being a vegetarian.
Really thanks appreciate.
Wish you lots of success and do create more.