The hazelnut amaretti are delicious flourless and butterless cookies, perfect at the end of a meal to accompany coffee or for a sweet break during the day. Like the more famous almond amaretti, these hazelnut cookies are prepared in just a few minutes, mainly by mixing chopped nuts with sugar and egg whites. This makes them great for celiacs or for those with allergies or lactose intolerance or milk protein intolerance.
The hazelnut amaretti recipe is very easy and guaranteed to succeed: however, it is crucial to respect the resting time in the refrigerator so that the amaretti maintain their shape, otherwise, you risk ending up with a single large cookie after baking. The beauty of these soft hazelnut cookies is also in their ease of preparation: you can prepare the entire dough directly in the mixer glass, without dirtying bowls and various utensils. During baking, the intoxicating aroma of hazelnuts will spread throughout the house, making your mouth water. And the final result will not disappoint you: hazelnut amaretti have an intense flavor, a crunchy crust, and a soft and delicious heart!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 14 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 114.64 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.83 (g) of which sugars 10.54 (g)
- Proteins 2.17 (g)
- Fat 6.95 (g) of which saturated 0.36 (g)of which unsaturated 4.36 (g)
- Fibers 1.24 (g)
- Sodium 35.55 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 1 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 14 Hazelnut Amaretti
If you are celiac, remember that powdered sugar and almond flour must have the label “gluten-free”; alternatively, you can use peeled almonds, finely chopped, instead of almond flour.
- 1.75 oz egg whites
- 3.53 oz hazelnuts (shelled, + extra for decoration)
- 1.75 oz almond flour
- 4.23 oz powdered sugar
- to taste granulated sugar (to coat the cookies)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Blender
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
How to Prepare Hazelnut Cookies without Flour
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the hazelnut amaretti, start by placing the shelled hazelnuts in a food processor or blender. Add about one-third of the powdered sugar required by the recipe to absorb any oil the hazelnuts may release when chopped (1).
Pulse the mixer at first to avoid overheating it, until you obtain a fine mixture similar to flour (2). Remove the mixer blade and add the almond flour (3).
Also add a pinch of salt and the remaining powdered sugar (4). Briefly mix with a spoon, then add the egg whites (5). Mix everything thoroughly until you get a homogeneous and rather sticky mixture (6).
Pour a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar into a bowl. With slightly damp hands, form balls slightly larger than a walnut (7), and roll them in the sugar to coat them completely (8). Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pressing lightly (9).
Ensure the cookies are well-spaced, as they will spread during baking. Finally, garnish each amaretto with half a hazelnut, pressing lightly to adhere it to the cookie (10).
Place the tray with the amaretti in the refrigerator to set for at least 45 minutes. After the resting time, bake the hazelnut amaretti in the preheated oven at 300°F for about 25 minutes, until they are slightly golden (11).
Allow them to cool completely before removing them from the tray. Hazelnut amaretti are excellent served at the end of a meal with coffee, but they are also suitable for snacks or as a sweet break during the day.
How to Store Hazelnut Amaretti
You can store hazelnut cookies in a tin box for about a week.
Tips and Variations
Hazelnut amaretti are a great recipe for reusing leftover egg whites from other preparations: pastry cream, carbonara, tiramisu… For this recipe, you need about 1 and a half egg whites, but it’s always best to weigh the egg whites and, if necessary, adjust the other ingredients proportionally. Calculating the quantities is very easy: weigh the egg whites you have and divide the number by 50 (the grams required by the recipe). Multiply the resulting number by the weight of all the other ingredients to obtain the correct quantities. For example, do you have 70 g of egg whites? 70:50=1.4. To know how much powdered sugar you need, simply do: 120 (the initial grams of powdered sugar) x 1.4 = 168.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What can I substitute for almond flour?
If you don’t have almond flour, you can substitute it with 1.75 oz of peeled almonds, finely chopped together with the hazelnuts.
Can I use hazelnut flour instead of hazelnuts?
Of course, in that case, remember to add all the powdered sugar required by the recipe (4.23 oz) to the mixture.
