Amaretti Sardi

Name: Amaretti Sardi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Sarda
Ingredients: 450 g blanched sweet almonds; 50 g blanched bitter almonds; 400 g caster sugar; 4 large Egg whites; 1 item unwaxed lemon; 60 g granulated sugar; 24 item whole blanched sweet almonds

Soft Sardinian almond biscuits, known locally as amaretos, baked with sweet and bitter almonds to create a pale, cracked crust and a chewy, fragrant centre.

🇮🇹Italy· Sardinia

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 240 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

450 g blanched sweet almonds — finely ground to a dry powder
50 g blanched bitter almonds — finely ground; or substitute with bitter almond extract
400 g caster sugar — fine white sugar
4 large Egg whites — at room temperature, about 130 g total
1 item unwaxed lemon — finely grated zest only
60 g granulated sugar — for coating the biscuits before baking
24 item whole blanched sweet almonds — one pressed into the top of each biscuit

Equipment

•Food processor
•Electric hand whisk
•Large mixing bowl
•Baking trays
•Baking parchment

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 240 kcal
fat: 13 g
carbs: 26 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 6 g
calories: 240 kcal

Instructions

1
Grind the sweet and bitter almonds with two tablespoons of caster sugar in short pulses until powdery.
2
Transfer the almond meal to a large bowl and stir in the remaining caster sugar and grated lemon zest.
3
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form.
4
Fold the whisked egg whites into the almond mixture in three batches using a spatula.
5
Knead gently with your hands until a cohesive, slightly tacky dough forms.
6
Cover the bowl and rest the dough in the refrigerator for thirty minutes.
7
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
8
Shape the chilled dough with lightly damp hands into twenty-four walnut-sized balls.
9
Roll each ball thoroughly in granulated sugar to form a crystalline outer coating.
10
Arrange the balls onto the prepared baking trays, leaving four centimetres of space between each.
11
Press a whole blanched almond gently into the centre of each ball to flatten it slightly.
12
Bake for eighteen to twenty minutes until pale golden and cracked, then cool completely on the tray.

Chef's tips

Pulse the almonds in short bursts with sugar to stop them releasing oil and turning into paste. Do not overbake the biscuits; they must stay pale ivory with golden bottoms to ensure a chewy texture.

Ingredient substitutions

blanched bitter almonds → 1 teaspoon pure natural bitter almond extract added directly to the egg whites
whole blanched sweet almonds for topping → candied cocktail cherries or small pieces of candied orange peel

Storage

Store in an airtight tin layered with baking parchment at room temperature for up to ten days.

Reheating

Serve at room temperature without reheating, as oven heat will dry out the soft marzipan centre.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Baking for too long at high heat, which dries out the interior and ruins the signature chewiness.
•Omitting the bitter almond component, leaving the biscuit with a one-dimensional, flat sweet taste.

Serving suggestions

Serve at room temperature alongside a glass of chilled Sardinian Mirto or sweet Malvasia di Bosa.Arrange on a decorative ceramic tray with espresso after a celebratory Sardinian meal.