almond

Chewy Amaretti Cookies

February 22, 2019 by Marisa 13 Comments

These Chewy Amaretti Cookies are another wonderful and well known treat to come out of Italy and a true Italian classic. They have a crispy outer edge and an irresistible chewy centre. You’ll be hard pressed not to devour the whole plateful in one siting.

On one of my many frenzied baking moments last Christmas, I baked a batch of Ricciarelli, Italian Almond Cookies. I brought some in to work to share with my colleagues. Once in a while they’re my designated and very happy taste testers.

One friend and colleague, Mary, remarked on how much they tasted like her mom’s amaretti cookies.

She very graciously offered to share her mom’s recipe with me and encouraged me to change the recipe to my liking.

But how does one improve on perfection? They’re absolutely amazing, which my family can happily attest! And greedily so as they were gone in mere minutes.

What Are Chewy Amaretti Cookies Made Of

This type of amaretti is simply one of many that can be found in different Italian households.

They mostly consist of one type of almond flour or almond paste with the addition of sugar, egg whites and flavourings.

You can use purchased almond flour or simply grind whole roasted almonds as finely as you can using a food processor.

Whether the almonds are peeled or not really doesn’t make any difference in taste. It does however change the over all colour of the cookie. Peeled almonds will yield a paler looking cookie whereas almonds with their skin intact will render a sun kissed golden brown colour.

You’ll note that in this recipe, Mary’s mom uses one part hazelnuts to three part almonds. I truly love this combo and kept the recipe as is but you can use all almonds instead.

Not only do these cute little morsels have a pretty golden hue, they also smell simply wonderful! And they’re gluten free!

Are Amaretti Cookies Easy To Make?

Amaretti cookies are by far one of the easiest cookies to ever make.

They require just a few simple ingredients so do use the freshest almonds possible.

Not those year old almonds stored why back in your pantry. Or that forgotten batch of almonds tucked in the far corner of your freezer from way back when!

And seriously, you don’t even need any special equipment! Just two bowls. One for whisking the dry ingredients and one for beating your egg white in. Which you can also beat with a fork…or a whisk. Unless you choose to use your electric mixer.

In which case, I’ll leave that part up to you. But just remember not to over beat the egg white. You just want soft peaks!

Tips to making perfect Chewy Amaretti Cookies

An extremely helpful tip that Mary’s mom has is a trial bake. She bakes 3 to 4 cookies to see how they turn out.

If the cookies flatten overmuch she’ll add a little more finely ground almonds to the mixture. If the dough is too stiff she’ll mix in a little more egg white.

I’ve tested this recipe 3 times and each time they turned out just wonderfully. So delicious!

As a personal preference, I chilled the dough for one hour before shaping and rolling the dough in the sugar. This helped achieve perfectly domed shapes.

A cookie scoop also helps tremendously in making equal sized cookies. I used one of 1 1/4 inch round in size.

Use the 15 minutes of baking time as a guideline. Check them after 12 minutes to make sure they are not over browning as not all ovens are created evenly.

I doubled up on my baking pans because these cookies benefitted from a double insulation. They turned out with an even all round crispiness and chewy centres. Light brown in colour with crisp crackled tops…and so pretty to look at!

If you prefer them even more crispier then simply leave them for another minute or two.

These chewy amaretti cookies are especially wonderful savoured with a sweet wine or equally enjoyable with your favourite cup of tea or coffee!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Chewy Amaretti Cookies

A classic Italian Cookie. These Amaretti cookies have crispy outer edges, soft chewy centres and are gluten free.

Prep Time40 mins

1 hr

Total Time52 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chewy Amaretti Cookies

Servings: dozen, approximately

Ingredients

3/4 cup roasted almonds
1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of baking powder
1 egg white from a large egg
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/3 cup extra granulated sugar for rolling the cookies into

Instructions

Place both nuts in a food processor and grind to a very fine sandy consistency. Take care not to turn it into a nut butter.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the ground nuts, granulated sugar and a pinch of baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl beat the egg white to a soft peak.
Stir the almond extract into the egg white mixture.
With a fork, stir the egg white mixture with the nut mixture until well combined.
Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use a cookie scoop of about 1 1/4 inch round to scoop up pieces of dough and shape them in a circle using your hands. If you don't have a cookie scoop, a well rounded teaspoon will do.
Roll the cookie ball in granulated sugar and place onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.
When ready the cookies will look light brown in colour with crisp crackled tops.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pans placed over a cooling rack.

Notes

The cookie dough shouldn't be too sticky to roll with your hands but if you do encounter some stickiness simply dab your hands with a teeny bit of water and continue rolling and shaping the cookie dough.

Ricciarelli Italian Almond Cookies

December 22, 2018 by Marisa 15 Comments

Ricciarelli, Italian Almond Cookies are typical Christmas cookies from Siena, Italy. They’re exquisite little morsels and a joy to make!

As I reflect each year on which cookies to add to my Christmas cookie platter, a balance of different textures and flavours is what I look for. Some have to include a type of nut while some are without.

I would need at least one colourful treat to brighten up the mound of cookies piled up high on my holiday platter. Such as these Italian Rainbow Cookies.

And then we mustn’t forget family members with dietary restrictions such as those who are gluten intolerant! They too need a perfectly satisfying sweet nibble! This is where these Ricciarelli make an appearance!

What I love about these cookies is that you really don’t need any serious baking skills. It’s simply a few very good quality ingredients consisting mostly of finely ground almonds and some powdered sugar.

They’re almond and lemon scented and also wonderfully perfumed with the seeds of a vanilla bean.

A touch of beaten egg whites binds the ingredients together to bring you a deliciously soft and chewy cookie with its distinctive crackled appearance.

You can make this cookie in different stages if you wish.

Day 1…you can blanch your own almonds if you’re so inclined. This is a process I really enjoy doing and extremely easy to do. You can check out my notes below.

Day 2…you can prepare the cookie dough and refrigerate over night.

Day 3…slice, shape and bake! It’s pretty simple right? Told you so!

A Little About Ricciarelli Cookies

Aside from being a Sienese Christmas treat, these cookies are customarily shaped into an oval or diamond form.

Some would say that the oval shape was meant to represent the eyes of the Madonna by Renaissance painters.

However, according to one legend it is said that a noble knight, Ricciardetto Della Gherardesca introduced the diamond shaped form of this cookie. Its oval shape with the pointed tips greatly reminded him of the Sultan’s slippers from his crusades of the far East. Hence the name Ricciarelli!

Whatever shape or form you decide on, I’m sure you’ll agree these cookies reign supreme in elegance and simplicity.

Serve alongside your favourite sweet wine or Vin Santo and enjoy them in the company of your wonderful family members or friends!

Happy baking dear friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Ricciarelli Italian Almond Cookies

Ricciareli, Italian Almond Cookies are deliciously soft and chewy cookies with a distinctive crackled surface. A typical Sienese Christmas cookie.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Ricciarelli Italian Almond Cookies

Servings: cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups blanched almonds see notes below for blanching your own
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
lemon zest from half a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
egg whites from 2 large eggs
powdered sugar for dusting approximately 1 cup

Instructions

Preparing The Cookie Dough

In a food processor, pulse together the blanched almonds with 3/4 cups of the powdered sugar until fine in texture.
Add in the remaining sugar, lemon zest, almond extract, the vanilla bean seeds and pulse together until very fine. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a fork just until foamy.
Add the beaten egg whites to the almond mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time while stirring just until you've achieved a stiff dough.
Dust your hands and a flat work surface with a little powdered sugar and roll out the cookie dough into a log about one inch and a half in diameter.
Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

When Ready To Bake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Slice the cookie dough into 24 equal portions and roll each into a ball.
One at a time, slightly flatten each ball between the palms of your hands while forming into an oval shape.
Place the shaped cookies onto the prepared baking sheets while spacing them 2 inches apart.
Dust generously with powdered sugar.
Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the sides are pale golden in colour.
Take care not to over bake them. They should look dry and not overly dark.
Allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet as these cookies are very soft and fragile when removed from the oven.
Enjoy with your favourite sweet wine or Vin Santo.
They keep well for up to a week at room temperature sealed in an air tight container.

Notes

Blanching Almonds

Place the almonds in a pot of boiling water and allow to simmer for about 60 to 70 seconds. The almonds will start to rise and bob on the surface. The skin will have a shriveled up appearance.

Drain the almonds and run under cold water then pat dry with a clean dish towel.

One at a time, gently press on the almond between your thumb and index finger to release the nut from its skin.

Allow the blanched almonds to dry at room temperature, on a clean dish towel, before proceeding with the recipe. This can also be done overnight.

If your pressed for time you can dry the almonds in a low heated oven for 5 minutes or so.

Italian Plum Almond Streusel Cake

October 9, 2018 by Marisa 16 Comments

An Italian Plum Almond Streusel Cake to delight your guests with its dense moist crumb, topped with pools of soft jammy plums and almond streusel topping.

I’ve never actually baked with Italian plums before. These plums were always enjoyed plucked straight off my Zia’s tree, who so generously shared her bounty with us.

If memory serves me, it wasn’t an overly big tree by any stretch. Only reaching to about 10 feet in height, or so it seemed to my younger self. As this winter tree is now being enjoyed by another nurturing family, I contend myself with the store bought variety.

They’re just as wonderfully luscious as the ones grown in our own back yards. These Italian prune plums are also exceptional if you favour canning or even hydrating your fruits.

IS IT A PRUNE OR IS IT A PLUM?

They are actually Freestone plums, meaning that the pit easily separates from the flesh. These are the plums that are most often dried out to make prunes.

Available during late summer to early autumn, these prune plums have a distinctive oblong shape. Its skin is tinged a deep purple with a reddish blueish hue and reveals a firm juicy flesh when bitten into.

They’re quite the delectable fruit and you’ll find that they hold up well in cooking or even baking.

Once baked the purple hue is transformed to a fuchsia like brightness, crowning the cake in pools of soft and sweet jammy goodness.

The streusel topping and the sliced almonds are totally optional here and really just as wonderful without it.

However, I thought to put to use the extra streusel I had in my freezer after making these outrageously good Raspberry Crumb Muffins.

It adds such a lovely contrast in texture, not to mention how prettily they compliment this jammy cake.

Its rustic. Its simple and super yummy! Also…it makes tea time and coffee time that much more enjoyable!

If you love fruity topped cakes as much as I do, then you might also enjoy these other fruit topped desserts:

Happy baking dear friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Italian Plum Almond Streusel Cake

An Italian Almond Streusel Cake to delight your guests with its dense moist crumble, topped with pools of soft jammy plums and almond streusel.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian Plum Almond Streusel Cake

Servings:

Ingredients

STREUSEL TOPPING

4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed

FOR THE CAKE

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds very finely ground
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sour cream full fat
7 italian plums halved and pits removed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

STREUSEL TOPPING

In a small bowl, mix together the CRUMB MIXTURE ingredients using your hands or a food processor just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Refrigerate till ready to use.

FOR THE CAKE

Grease an 8 inch round spring form pan, line with parchment paper then grease the parchment paper. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl beat together the softened butter with the brown sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time just until combined.
Stir in both the vanilla and almond extracts.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, finely ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternating with the sour cream, making 3 additions of the flour and 2 of the sour cream, just until smooth.
Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Slice the plum halves length-wise into 1/4 inch slices and while keeping the slices together place them in clusters over the cake batter.
Sprinkle the streusel topping between and around the sliced plums and top with the sliced almonds.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before releasing it from the pan.
Once completely cooled dust the cake with powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!

Italian Mostaccioli Cookie Recipe

December 1, 2017 by Marisa 40 Comments

For those familiar with Italian Mostaccioli Cookies, they’re sure to bring a nostalgic feel to your family gathering.

These soft, two bite cookies are chock-full of finely ground almonds and filled with a lovely aromatic essence from both ground cloves and cinnamon.

A touch of limoncello with orange and lemon zests lends a lovely citrus taste to these soft cake-like cookies.

They’re also flavoured with both cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate which are then enveloped in more chocolate goodness.

About Mostaccioli Cookies

The origin of this cookie is said to date back 300 hundred years before the birth of Christ and rooted deep in Italian history. However not all food historians seem to agree on this. The consensus however, is that the mostaccioli cookies have greatly evolved throughout the years.

In the old country these cookies were made with Wine Must. It was used as a sweetening agent because of its high glucose content. Wine Must is basically pressed grapes containing all components of the fruit. This was a time when sugar or even honey were not readily available. A time when people made do with what they had on hand.

They were also made in different shapes and sizes with intricate patterns depicting historical animals. Or items such as baskets or even the palm. Some were made with jewel like decorations. These were sold at auctions in order to raise money for charities.

It wasn’t until centuries later that this clove and cinnamon scented cookie gained in popularity. Most families nowadays have their own unique way of making them. From sculpted cookies to biscotti like shapes. Or the more popular diamond shaped one that you see here today.

While some contain no leavening agent yielding a harder cookie, these are soft and almost cake-like.

Making Mostaccioli Cookies

You’ll be working with a very soft dough and will need to flour your work surface, rolling pin and hands when shaping and cutting the cookies.

I used a 2 inch diamond shaped cookie cutter to form the diamond shaped cookies. You can also use a knife to cut them into diamond shapes.

I chose to dip half the batch of cookies in semi-sweet chocolate and the other half in white chocolate. I find this makes a lovely presentation when platted together on a large platter.

Keep in mind to allow sufficient time for the chocolate to set before platting…trust me on this!

Then simply enjoy with your favourite beverage!

Happy baking dear friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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4 from 1 vote

Italian Mostaccioli Cookie Recipe

A traditional Italian cookie with ground almonds, sweetened with honey, scented with both orange and lemon zest, cloves, cinnamon and dipped in chocolate.

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 1/2 dozen

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups almonds very finely ground
1/3 cup baking cocoa powder I used dutch processed
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup honey
orange zest from 1 large orange
lemon zest from 1 medium sized lemon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Limoncello or substitute with the juice of one lemon
3 ounces coarsely grated semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
12 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
12 ounces white chocolate
vegetable oil for thinning the chocolate

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, finely ground almonds, cocoa powder, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt then set aside.
Using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the eggs together.
Mix in the sugar and honey, beating until very well combined.
Stir in the orange and lemon zest, the vanilla extract and limoncello.
Slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined.
Stir in the grated chocolate.
The dough will be very soft and pliable.
Working with small portions of the dough at a time (about 1 heaping cupful) transfer to a well floured surface.
With a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/3 of an inch thick.
Use a 2 inch diamond cookie cutter to shape and cut out the cookies and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet while spacing them about 1 inch apart. (dipping the cookie cutter in flour before each use will tremendously help for easy release.)
Re-rolled the scraps to shape and cut just 1 more time.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. The cookies should still be slightly soft to the touch when ready.
While one batch is baking in the oven continue rolling and cutting with the remaining dough.
Make sure the cookies cool completely before dipping in chocolate.
CHOCOLATE COATING:
Melt the semi-sweet chocolate using a double boiler or in the microwave, using a microwave safe bowl on high for about 90 seconds stirring at 30 seconds interval.
Thin the chocolate with a little bit of vegetable oil to loosen the consistency somewhat for easy dipping.
Dip half a batch of the cookies into the melted semi-sweet chocolate and place on a cooling rack till the chocolate sets.
Repeat by melting the white chocolate and coating the remaining cookies.
Before the white chocolate sets, use a piping bag filled with dark melted chocolate to dot the tops then simply run a toothpick through the dots to create a pretty pattern.
Allow for the chocolate to set completely before storing.

Almond Pistachio Loaf Cake

October 9, 2017 by Marisa 21 Comments

If you love nut based cakes then you’ll simply adore this Almond Pistachio Loaf Cake with its citrusy lemon scent.

This loaf cake is utterly delicious! After quickly devouring one slice I found myself dabbing on the lingering crumbs clinging to the bottom of the plate. It’s that amazing!

There’s a very small amount of white flour used to bake this cake and it mostly consists of finely ground almond and pistachio nuts.

You will however need to grind the nuts as finely as possible without having them turn into a nut butter. I did so with my food processor and if your processor is the mini kind, you can simply grind the nuts in small batches.

Almond Pistachio Loaf Cake with Lemon Syrup

As this sweet loaf cools and while still warm, it’s lavishly drizzled with a lemon syrup. The cake soaks up all those sweet juices and renders it extremely moist with a damp like texture.

In fact it’s so moist and delicate you’ll have to take care when releasing the cake from the pan.

I strongly suggest greasing the pan first and then lining the pan with parchment paper while making sure the parchment paper extends a couple of inches above the rim of the pan. This will allow you to remove the cake from the pan effortlessly.

Trust me on this, I learnt the hard way!

I hadn’t lined my pan and as I turned it upside down to release the cake only half of it came off the pan. The other half, to my horror stayed stuck inside!

I stared at it in dismay wondering what to do! I truly thought that I might just have to bake it all over again to get some decent photos. But no worries, the cake was so moist I was actually able to piece it back together with no one being the wiser. But now you all know…lol!

As you can see from the photo above, you can’t tell at all!

How To Decorative a Loaf Cake

Although pretty all on its own with the vibrantly green colours of pistachios, I served the loaf with sliced Greek black figs.

I picked them up at the market and decorated the loaf with some pretty edible orchids for a show stopping dessert. Just for you!

However you can just as easily crown the cake with candied lemon slices if figs are not your thing. Or simply enjoy as is!

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful Cafe Italia cookbook by Liz Franklin. A must have in your repertoire of cookbooks!

If you make this recipe do take a picture and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Happy Baking!

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Almond Pistachio Loaf Cake

Extremely moist lemon scented Almond Pistachio Loaf Cake, lavishly drizzled with a lemon pistachio syrup and crowned with fresh figs.

Course: Dessert

Servings: -12 slices

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

FOR THE LOAF CAKE
16 tablespoons butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs beaten
3/4 cup finely ground almonds
2/3 cup finely ground pistachios
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
grated zest from 2 lemons
FOR THE PISTACHIO TOPPING
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
freshly squeezed juice from 2 lemons
1/2 cup pistachios chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and line with parchment coming up the sides of the pan while surpassing the pan by a couple of inches (this will allow for easy removal of the cake).
Beat the butter and the sugar together in a medium sized bowl until smooth.
Slowly add the beaten eggs, a little at a time while continuing to beat until they're fully incorporated.
Stir the ground almonds and pistachios, the flour, baking powder and the lemon zest into the batter.
Transfer the batter mixture to the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place the loaf pan on a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, for the pistachio topping, place 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar and freshly squeezed juice from the 2 lemons into a small microwave safe bowl.
Heat in the microwave on high heat for 1 minute then stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
Alternately you can heat the sugar and lemon juice on your stove top.
When the sugar has completely dissolved, stir in the chopped pistachios and pour the mixture over the cake while making sure to evenly distribute the syrup.
Let the cake cool in the pan and then carefully remove from the pan.
Slice and serve as is or along side some seasonal fresh fruit.

Notes

Recipe is adapted from the wonderful Cafe Italia cookbook by Liz Franklin. I decorated the loaf cake with fresh figs since they are very much in season now as well as edible orchids. However you can simply serve the cake as is.