GEOFF’s Amaretti Biscuits…
⏱️ Enjoy with your favourite beverage | 4 min read
This one was a genuine test of nerve – three ingredients, no room to hide, and a very particular Italian technique one of our Italian friends swear by: rest the dough overnight before you touch it. I made these, using egg whites left over after the yolks went into honey crème brûlée for dessert that week – nothing wasted. I didn’t have Amaretto liqueur in the cupboard the day I baked these, so I ran with vanilla and almond essence instead, and the biscuits still cracked and crisped exactly the way they should. The overnight rest is what does the real work here; skip it and you lose the shatter on the outside.
GEOFF’s Amaretti Biscuits…
Three ingredients, no room to hide. This is a genuine test of technique – egg whites, almond meal and sugar, rested overnight the way my Italian friends taught me, so the shell shatters and the centre stays soft. I ran with vanilla and almond essence instead of Amaretto the day I baked these, and they still cracked and crisped exactly as they should.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 1. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand whisk or mixer until stiff, glossy peaks form.2. In a separate bowl, combine the almond meal, 200gm caster sugar and lemon zest.3. Gently fold the almond mixture through the egg whites, a spoonful at a time, until just combined – don't overwork it, or you'll knock the air back out.4. Stir through the Amaretto (or vanilla and almond essence) until the dough comes together into a thick, sticky paste.5. Cover and rest the dough overnight in the fridge if time allows. This is the step that sets the texture, giving that shatter-crisp shell over a soft centre. Alternately rest for one hour, covered in the fridge.6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C on Fan Plus program or 180°C fan-forced if you're not using a Miele oven. Line two baking trays with baking paper.7. When ready to bake, place the 50gm rolling caster sugar and 45gm icing sugar in separate small bowls.8. Weigh the dough into 33-34gm portions (a rounded tablespoon) and roll into balls – you should get about 26.9. Roll each ball first through the caster sugar, then the icing sugar, and place on the prepared trays, spaced 3cm apart.10. Press a Callebaut chocolate button into the centre of half the balls, if using.11. Bake for 12-15minutes, until the biscuits are just starting to turn golden at the edges – the top should look dry and cracked, the inside still soft.12. Cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely; they're fragile straight from the oven.
Nutrition
Notes
Suggested Serving
- Serve alongside a short black or espresso.
- A glass of Vin Santo turns these into a proper end to dinner.
- Pile them onto a plate with whole coffee beans for the table.
- Wine pairing: Vin Santo, or a late-harvest dessert wine.
Notes:
- The overnight rest was suggested by Italian friends; it firms the dough enough to shape cleanly and is what gives the crackled shell.
- No Amaretto in the pantry the day I tested this – vanilla and almond essence works as a straight swap, no change to method or timing.
- Leftover yolks don’t need to go to waste – they’re perfect for a custard-based dessert like crème brûlée.
- If your egg whites have been frozen, thaw and use within a day for the best whip.
- Weighing the dough (33-34gm per ball) keeps all 26 biscuits baking evenly eyeballing it gives uneven batches.
- All ovens run differently, so watch the edges rather than the clock in the final few minutes.
- These don’t need refrigeration – store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Glass containers work best for keeping the sugar coating intact; avoid stacking directly on top of each other.
- Best enjoyed at room temperature – these aren’t a dish to reheat.
- Not recommended
