Pistachio Amaretti Cookies
My soft pistachio amaretti cookies are a pretty variation of a classic Italian cookie made with ground pistachios, sugar, and egg whites.
Servings: 30 cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- food processor optional for making lemon sugar
Ingredients
for the cookies
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon Note: peel the lemon zest with a serrated vegetable peeler ~ you want only the yellow part, try to avoid getting the bitter white 'pith'.)
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups finely ground pistachios, measure after grinding your nuts. You will need approximately 3 cups of whole nuts.
for the coating
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the lemon sugar put the granulated sugar with the lemon zest into a food processor and pulse/process for about a minute until the zest is fully incorporated and the sugar is moist, pale yellow, and super fragrant. Note: If you do not have a food processor you can skip this step and just whisk the zest and sugar together.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy. Note that you are not making meringue, so just whisk them until loose and foamy. Whisk in the almond extract.
- Add the lemon sugar and ground pistachios to the bowl and mix thoroughly. It will seem dry at first, but keep mixing until you get a moist dough with everything evenly incorporated. Don't worry about over mixing, there is no gluten in this dough so your cookies will not get tough.
- Using a tablespoon or small scoop, form into small balls and coat in powdered sugar. Make sure the balls are thoroughly coated with the sugar, then place on your prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Note: the cookies will not spread much at all, but I like to space them for even baking.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will not look very different, but they will have puffed slightly and formed nice cracks. They will seem soft but they will firm up as they cool. Do not over bake. I suggest doing a test cookie or two to determine the exact time for your oven.
- Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
Notes
Troubleshooting:
If your cookies are spreading too much, you can try adding a bit more ground pistachios, and/or chilling the balls of dough before baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie · Calories: 90 kcal · Carbohydrates: 11 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Sodium: 4 mg · Potassium: 107 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 27 IU · Vitamin C: 0.3 mg · Calcium: 11 mg · Iron: 0.4 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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