Cooking Lesson #616: Belli Croccanti--Amaretti—Italian Crispy and Delicious Almond Cookies

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Joan’s sister, Annie, was visiting from London recently. She always brings interesting books as well as something wonderful to eat. This time she gifted us with Hazelnut Croccanti, a nut and egg white meringue biscuit and chocolate hazelnut truffles.
 
I prefer almonds to hazelnuts so here is a change-up in the recipe. If you try my Amaretti, or bitter almond cookies, one time, you’ll never want any other versions or, maybe even any other cookies!
 
Belli Croccanti are easy to make. These delightful treats are common and loved all over Italy and in many local areas in the US. These cookies come in several versions—crispy, soft, chewy or sugar-coated, but one thing they have in common is that they all melt quickly in your mouth. Their intense taste comes from the almonds since there are just three ingredients: almonds, sugar and egg whites.
 
Although the traditional recipe calls for the same quantity of sweet and bitter almonds, in my recipe, I will only use what we call “sweet” almonds because bitter almonds are hard to come by outside of Italy. I had to substitute almond extract for the bitter almonds because it is made from bitter almonds. The taste of this cookie is unique because it’s a blend of bitter and sweet at the same time.
 
My recipe as in the classic recipe, they do not contain any gluten, so they are suitable for people following a gluten-free diet. These homemade delights are perfectly paired with a good cup of coffee or a wonderful cup of tea.
 
Store the uneaten cookies in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days so that they don’t get moist. You can also crumble and add them to sweet puddings, cooked fruit, ice cream, yogurt or fresh fruit salad.
 
Prep:  Time 10 minutes
Cook:  Time 30 minutes
Total:  Time 40 minutes
Yield:  30 cookies
 
Ingredients 
3/4 cup ground almonds (skins removed)
1 cup of fine granulated sugar
4 large eggs whites
1 teaspoon almond extract
 
Directions

1. If the almonds are not peeled, drop them into boiling water for a minute, run them under cold water, strain them and blot them with paper towels. You will then be able to squeeze the nuts so the skins come off easily.
2. Lay them out to dry or dry them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a few minutes in the oven at 300°F. Allow them to cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
3. If you bought peeled almonds, put them in a food processor and pulse into ground almonds. Do not overprocess or you will end up with almond butter. Transfer the ground almonds to a bowl.
4. Beat the egg whites until firm (to test for firmness turn the bowl upside down, and if they don’t pour out, they are beaten enough).
5. Gently fold in the sugar and egg meringue, the almond mixture, and the almond extract to make a smooth airy paste. Do not overmix.
6. Prepare a sheet pan with baking parchment paper.
7. Use a pastry bag with a sized-10 tip (0.4 inches) place walnut-size dollops of the mixture approximately 1 inch apart. Set it aside and let sit for 1 hour.
8. Preheat an oven to 300°F and bake the cookies for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
9. Open the door, switch the fan on, and let the amaretti cool down in the oven so that any trace of leftover moisture is eliminated. Your cookies will get really crunchy.

ChefSecret:  If the cookie paste (batter) turns out to be too solid and dry, add another firmly beaten egg white to the paste. Almond flour may make amaretti too dry, so use whole, skin-off almonds instead.

Quip of the Day:  What do you call a crude drawing of a laughing cookie? A snicker-doodle, of course.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.
 
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