Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
These naturally gluten-free Chocolate Amaretti Cookies are rich in chocolate flavor, chewy and so easy to make! They make an amazing weekend baking project but are often made as an edible gift around the holiday time. Specifically, Christmas.
Despite being incredibly easy to make, they have a unique crackly powdered sugar outside which is so impressive. In this post I’m going to share a simple trick to ensure you get that crackly effect without the sugar baking away in the oven. What you’re left with is a strikingly gorgeous cookie that tastes as good as it looks!
If you love a mist cookie, I’m talking soft, chewy and rich then these Chocolate Amaretti cookies don’t disappoint! Their texture is amazing, chewy and slightly crispy on the outside. These cookies are a variation of my Amaretti Cookies which are a pure almond cookie with the same amazing texture, but they have a hit of cocoa powder making them an irresistible chocolate hit!
All you need is a few simple ingredients, almond meal, sugar, egg whites and cocoa powder and you’re on your way to a delicious treat. If you’re looking for more amazing holiday cookies, check out my Linzer Cookies, Linzer Cookies or my Gingerbread Cookies. I’ll leave a longer list at the bottom of this post for you to check out.
My secret to a flawless crackly cookie!
It’s so simple! Simply coating these cookies in powdered sugar (icing sugar) won’t give you that contrasty crackly look. The powdered sugar melts away as they bake. So to ensure your sugar doesn’t melt away, you coat the cookie dough balls in caster sugar (superfine sugar) first before rolling in the powdered sugar and voila! Your cookies look amazing!
Why you’ll love these Chocolate Amaretti Cookies!
There are so many things to love about these classic Italian cookies. Some of the things I think you’ll enjoy are:
- Soft and chewy texture
- Rich in chocolate flavor
- Easy to make
- Great edible gift idea
- Unique crackly look
- Gluten free!
Ingredients You Need To Make Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
- Almond flour – this is finely crushed almonds with the skin off. Almond meal, with the skin on will also work.
- Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar is the best sugar to use for this recipe. If you can’t find it, you can use granulated sugar.
- Cocoa powder – I used natural cocoa powder. Any type will work, just make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Baking powder – helps the cookies rise a little and lighten in texture.
- Salt – I used fine salt.
- Eggs – you will only need the egg whites for this recipe. You can use the yolks to make this delicious Pastry Cream!
- Almond extract – helps intensify the almond flavor of the cookies. I used the Queen brand.
- Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar. Pure of soft icing sugar will work.
- Blanched almonds – I buy mine already blanched. You can use glace cherries if you like.
How to make the BEST Chocolate Amaretti!
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl.
- To a separate bowl whip the egg whites
- Add the egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough forms.
- Scoop out using an ice cream scoop.
- Roll into a bowl.
- Coat in caster sugar.
- Coat in powdered sugar.
- Place on baking tray and smoosh in a blanched almond.
- Bake and allow to cool before cooling.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Measure out using kitchen scales – measuring ingredients out by weight and not cups is the best way to get consistent results every time! I wrote more about it here!
- Separating your eggs when they’re cold, straight out of the fridge is much easier to do than when they’re at room temperature.
- Whip up your egg whites at room temperature for best results.
- Use a cookie scoop for even sized cookies.
- Make sure you don’t overbake the cookies otherwise they will lose their soft and chewy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Storage
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks!
Are Amaretti gluten free?
These cookies are natural gluten free as they don’t contain any flour or ingredients with gluten!
Can I use regular flour?
Not for this recipe. The almond flour/meal is what gives these cookies their unique flavor and texture.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes! Freeze on a flat tray lined with baking paper before popping in a zip lock bag. Just a note, the powdered sugar may slightly melt away when they thaw.
Why this recipe is in grams and not cups?
The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! To learn more about using digital kitchen scales, check out this post!
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
More holiday cookie ideas!
Amaretti Cookies
Linzer Cookies
Delightful Gingerbread Cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Serves 16
Ingredients
Cookies
- 400 g almond flour, see notes
- 315 g caster sugar, superfine
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 5 / 200 g egg whites
- 1 tsp almond extract
To Decorate
- 105 g caster sugar
- 55 g powdered sugar
- 20 blanched almonds or glace cherries, see notes
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 170C / 340F (180C / 355F for no fan). Line two baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
- Add the almond meal, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and pinch of salt to a medium sized bowl and mix using a whisk to combine.
- Next, add the egg whites to a separate large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip to soft peaks until frothy and foamy, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the egg whites and use a spatula to mix. Add the almond extract and the remaining dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- Use a small cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp) to scoop out about 18 cookies. Roll in the palm of your hands. Coat in the caster sugar then the powdered sugar. Place on the baking trays, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart from each other. Slightly indent a blanched almond and bake for 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely before taking off the baking tray. Store in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 2 weeks!
Notes
Nutrition
2 comments
I made your amaretti cookies for a gathering last year, everybody loved them, and someone ended up asking me to make more for them, saying that the size was just perfect. This person is so in love with these that she asked me to make them a third time, but the eggs I got were definitely smaller, and though I always prefer weighting my ingredients, there was no weight for the egg whites in the recipe -and I didn’t weight them the first and second time either while I was taking my own notes- so my cookies (which I also weight) were considerably smaller (since she was expecting a specific amount of cookies), so I really appreciate that this time you did add the weight! Thank you so much!
Thanks Ana N x