Description
Delight in these tender and flavorful Raspberry Amaretti Cookies, featuring almond flour and freeze-dried raspberries. These soft, chewy cookies have a subtle tartness from the raspberries and a fragrant almond aroma, perfect for a light, elegant treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (200g) almond flour or very finely ground almonds, sifted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 ounce freeze-dried raspberries, very finely ground (about 1/4 cup of ground raspberry powder)
- Pinch of salt
- Confectioners’ sugar, as needed for dusting
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites (about 60 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Stack two heavyweight, light to medium colored cookie sheets inside one another to prevent the bottoms of the cookies from browning too quickly. Line the top sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Grind raspberries: Using a food processor or spice grinder, grind the freeze-dried raspberries into a very fine powder to evenly distribute the raspberry flavor throughout the dough.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the sifted almond flour, granulated sugar, salt, and the ground freeze-dried raspberries until well combined.
- Whip egg whites: In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites together with the lemon juice until soft peaks form. This adds lightness to the dough.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Fold the whipped egg whites and almond extract gently into the dry mixture. Stir until a soft, sticky dough forms, kneading slightly by hand if needed. The dough will be moist and pliable, unlike traditional macaron batter.
- Shape the cookies: Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Using a small cookie scoop, portion out about 1-inch balls of dough. Roll each ball into a smooth sphere, then roll it in confectioners’ sugar to coat evenly. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake: Place the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the tops of the cookies have cracked and the bottoms are just starting to turn a light golden color. If you are not using the stacked cookie sheets, watch carefully as baking time may reduce to about 25 minutes. For crispier cookies, bake an additional 5 minutes until the tops begin to brown.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes. Then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Storage: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Stacking two cookie sheets helps prevent the bottoms from browning too fast, but if you don’t have two, reduce the baking time and watch the cookies closely.
- Using freeze-dried raspberries gives an intense raspberry flavor without adding moisture.
- Do not overwhip the egg whites; soft peaks are ideal for the right texture.
- Be sure to dust your hands with confectioners’ sugar to prevent the dough from sticking when shaping the cookies.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and tender up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 15mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
