Anna's Amaretti Cookies

I never have understood the appeal of the crunchy, pungent cookies served (usually as lagniappe) at the end of Italian dinners. What is up with those and why do people like them? Your first bite into the hard crust of the cookie usually finds you with crumbs all over the front of your clothing. The bite itself has overwhelming almond alcohol flavor, intense crunch and then nothing. It's completely hollow. All you're left with is an unsatisfying void and a bunch of hard crumbs wondering between your cheeks and molers (the ones that aren't on your clothing) while bits of meringue dissolve at different rates around the roof of your mouth. The experience leaves you feeling extremely frustrated, begging to ask "why did I try that again? I know how this will all end and I just shouldn't have done it."

If truth be told, I enjoy the Amaretti flavor but without substance the cookie should not even be called a cookie! It cannot withstand the framework definition of what a cookie should be and therefore, technically the parchment paper with pastel writing wrapped around the hard sphere should not label them cookies. My suggestion is to label them as a "hollow crunch ball" and just get it over with.


Anna told us her Amaretti cookies were different. She said that there were many who thought her cookies were the best they've eaten! I totally agree!! Gary agreed!!! Anna's cookies have a wonderful, chewy texture on the inside with a slightly crunchy "meringue" texture on the outside. It's the way a cookie should taste!! The almond flavor is there without the strong alcohol flavor. Really incredible little gems!! This was one of my favorite recipes that she gave us. I held a very negative predjustice against Amaretta cookies. Anna completely converted my opinion!!

Amaretti Cookies

12 egg whites
5 c. Lady Fingers, crushed in a food processor
5 c. Almonds, finely ground
3 1/2 c. Sugar
3 1/2 T. Almond extract
Sugar for rolling dough

Beat egg whites until stiff. (Anna beats the egg whites very stiff before adding any sugar.) Fold in the almond extract and sugar carefully. Alternate the ground almonds and the ground Lady Fingers, folding the very gently into the egg whites. This takes a while and the dough becomes very sticky. The dough will deflate extincively. Gary even made the comment that he would've thrown it out had Anna not been there to tell him that it was supposed to look like that. All of this folding and combining into the dough needs to be done without breaks. ( I stopped just to take a picture and she immediately picked up the spatula and began folding, explaining that you really shouldn't stop. I'm sure it has to do with egg whites deflating.)
Wet your hands and roll the batter into 2" balls. Roll the balls in the sugar and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min.
This recipe makes ~100 cookies. They freeze really well! Do not try to freeze the dough, only the baked cookies.