RECIPE: Favorite Amaretti Cookies
When I was younger, I used to go to a bakery in Georgetown called Chez Didier, or just Didier’s, as we called it. The pastry cases were full of the most delectable treats, including one of my favorite confections that used these Amaretti cookies as the base for a rich and indulgent chocolate dome. These classic Italian style cookies are used in a variety of applications, and in a variety of ways (whole, crushed and pulverized), as the delicate almond flavor is a perfect pair to most sugary desserts, or even just on their own.
Makes Round 20-30 Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (200 grams), white sugar
2 egg whites, at room temperature (about 60 grams)
8 oz, almond paste, at room temperature, broken into small pieces
Special Equipment Needed:
Food Processor
Piping Bag with Small, Round Tip (about 1/4 or 1/2 inch)
Piping Template, if desired
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and line two large baking sheets with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
If you think you might want to use a template to pipe your cookie rounds, go ahead and make your template to fit your baking tray now. I recommend making your circles about the size of a fifty-cent piece as the cookies will spread a bit in the oven.
Next, pulse your sugar in the bowl of your food processor until the grain feels softer to the touch.
Add your pieces of almond paste into the food processor, and pulse to combine. The texture should feel grainy, and a bit like sand, at this point.
Add your egg whites, and again, plus to combine until the dough comes together like a smooth but wet paste.
Fill your piping bag with the dough, and pipe into neat rounds, either using your template or free-handed.
To ensure that your cookies won’t have tiny tails that tend to burn in the oven, moisten the tip of your finger with a bit of water and gently press down any tails or peaks that may have formed while piping your cookies.
Place the cookies in the preheated oven, and bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until the cookies are a warm sandy color. The darker the cookies are, the crunchier they will be, so if you prefer cookies with a good crack, air on the outside side of 17 minutes. Prefer a chewy inside? Bake for closer to 15 minutes. (Tip: If you are planning to top the cookies with ice cream or mousse, or planning to process the cookies into crumbs for tart crusts and the like, again, bake for more time as you will want the cookies to be crispier.)
Leave your cookies to cool on a rack, and enjoy.
These cookies will hold up well in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks. Once completely cooled, these cookies can also be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookies at room temperature for a few hours before eating.
Inspired by: Joy of Baking’s Amaretti Cookies and Chez Didier, in Washington D.C.