These vegan amaretti cookies are a slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie that's completely vegan using one secret ingredient.
Amaretti cookies are a naturally gluten-free treat traditionally enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee.
These vegan amaretti cookies are not just gluten-free, but they're also egg-free and oil free!
These chewy almond cookies are amazing on their own, or delicious sandwiches with a fruit am or ganache.
Ingredients
Almond flour: The gluten-free flour that gives the Amaretti cookies their texture and flavor
Powdered sugar: To add sweetness
Granulated sugar: To add sweetness
Aquafaba: Traditonally, amaretti cookies are made with egg whites, but aquafaba, or "bean juice" can help us get a similar texture and structure for our cookies. For this recipe, we'll be using the liquid taken from 1 can of chickpeas.
Salt: Salt added to sweet treats helps to emphasize the other flavors
Lemon zest: Adds great flavor
Amaretto liquid: To add additional almond flavor
Additional powdered sugar: For topping the cookies with
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Start by combining your dry ingredients in a large bowl.
So your almond flour, powdered sugar and granulated sugar.
Use a whisk to break up any clumps and evenly distribute.
In a different large bowl beat the juice from 1 can of chickpeas or the "aquafaba" with the salt using an electric beater on medium-high until it forms soft peaks like shown below.
This should take about 5 minutes.
Next, you want to gently stir in lemon zest and then fold in the almond flour mixture until everything is combined.
Finally, stir in amaretto. The dough should feel sticky and soft but easily formed into cookie dough balls.
Your dough should look like the photo below.
Cover the dough and pop in the fridge to chill for half and hour. Chill for longer if it's a warmer day.
While your dough is chilling, you can line your baking pan with a silicone sheet or parchment paper and start to preheat your oven.
One your dough has chilled long enough, fill the bottom of a small bowl with powdered sugar.
With a teaspoon, scoop a rounded amount of cookie dough and roll in your hands to form a ball.
Roll the dough ball into the powdered sugar coating it completely.
Place the coated cookie dough ball onto your baking sheet.
Repeat leaving 2 inches of space in between each cookie until all of your dough is used up.
This may take two batches.
Place the baking sheet on the top rack in the oven as the bottom of these cookies are prone to overbaking.
Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown under the powdered sugar.
Allow to the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and placing on a cooling rack to completely cool.
Hint: Keep the cookies baking as close to the top of the oven as possible to prevent the bottoms from burning.
If you are going to bake both batches at once on two separate cookie sheets, keep them both on the upper ⅓ of the oven.
After about 12 minutes of baking, switch the positions of the two cookie sheets to prevent burning the bottom of the lower sheet.
Baking two batches at once may take longer to bake, so adjust the baking time as needed.
Top Tips
One of the biggest issues with making these amaretti cookies is the fact that not all almond flour is created equally.
In fact, some almond flour is much dryer than others and differs vastly from brand to brand.
If you find your dough too dry after chilling, you may be using a dryer almond flour.
If something seems very off with the moisture content of your dough, you may have to add a bit more liquid to dry dough, or a bit more flour to wet dough.
Storage
Store cookies in an air-tight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Vegan Amarreti cookies
These vegan amaretti cookies are a deliciously chewy cookie that's completely vegan.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbps powdered sugar
- ½ cup aquafaba (we used the liquid from one can of garbanzo beans)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- 1 cup additonal powdered sugar to coat cookies
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add almond flour, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Combine well with whisk.
- In separate large mixing bowl, beat aquafaba and salt with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until soft peaks start to form.
- Stir in lemon zest and amaretto mixture.
- Fold almond flour mixture into the aquafaba mixture until combined well.
- Dough will be very sticky and soft, but should be able to roll into balls.
- Loosely cover dough and chill in fridge for at least half an hour.
- While dough chills, preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line cookie sheets with baking mats or parchement paper.
- Remove chilled dough from fridge and fill bottom of small bowl with powdered sugar.
- With a spoon scoop a rounded ball of the dough, roughly 2 teaspoon worth.
- Form a ball with dough using your hands.
- Roll the dough ball in the powdered sugar coating it completely and place on lined cookie sheet.
- Repeat with rest of dough, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Place cookie sheet in oven as close to top as you possible.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until cookies are golden brown beneath the powdered sugar.
- Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Let cool and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!
Notes
If baking both batches of cookies at once, place both cookie sheets as close to the top of the oven as you can, as the bottom of the cookies are prone to over baking. After 12 minutes of baking switch the positions of the cookie sheets to allow both batches to bake evenly. Add a few minutes of baking time if baking both batches at once.
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