Amaretti just sound so fancy. And they look so fancy. But they are, fortunately, not that fancy to make. I mean, difficult. You know what I mean. They make fantastic gifts, all done up in a nice jar or tin, and it sounds very impressive when you hand them over.
“I made you Amaretti, darling.”
See? Fancy.
- 200 g / 2 ¼ cups ground almonds
- 200 g / 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp espresso powder (optional)
- good pinch of salt
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- icing sugar for rolling
Pre-heat oven to 150˚C / 300˚F. Line a heavy baking tray with parchment paper.
Combine the almonds, sugar, espresso powder (if using) and salt. Set aside.
Beat the eggs and vinegar until soft peaks form, then add the dry ingredients and the almond extract. Mix well – don’t worry about folding or anything, just get it all mixed in.
Roll the mix into balls of roughly a heaped tablespoon in size, then roll in icing sugar. Pop them on the baking tray, and, once done, flatten the tops a little with the back of a spoon.
Bake for around 25-35 minutes or until the outside is crisping up. Keep an eye on the bottoms, as they can burn easily.
Makes around 24 fancy biscuits that look wonderful in jars as gifts, although they’ll want to be eaten within a few days.
A Toot Hansell Christmas Cracker recipe collection:
- Rose’s Rom Truffles
- Christmas Pudding Cupcakes
- Homity Pies
- Christmas Breakfast Muffins
- Welsh Rarebit
- Cranberry, Wensleydale & Walnut No-Knead Bread
- Yorkshire Puddings
- Mulled Apple Juice
- Dragon-Friendly Mincemeat
- Mincemeat Sticky Buns
- Almond, Orange, & Cranberry Cake