Amaretti are little cookies that are light as a feather, yet have an intense sweet almond flavor. They're airy, delicate, and very simple to make. The recipe takes about 5 minutes to put together and they bake quickly and you can taste them with a sweet wine or liqueur, in Italy usually is Vinsanto.

The story tells that at the beginning of 1800, the nuns of the Santa Cristiana Convent in Santa Croce near Pisa decided to use the almonds there they were given, as a Christmas gift, from the Sicilian families of the young girls that were attending the Convent. Soon the bakers in town started to produce the biscuits and they became a traditional sweet of Santa Croce sull’Arno.

Still today, on December the 8th the town celebrate Amaretti with a Festival.

INGREDIENTS

 • 2 1/2 cups of almond flour -or- 3 cups of blanched slivered almonds, finely ground up

• 1 1/4 cup of baker's sugar (superfine sugar)

• 3 egg whites • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon of almond extract

• Extra sugar for dusting

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 300 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor mill together the almond flour and sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extract and pulse for a few seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to process until the dough is smooth.

3. Place teaspoons of the dough on the parchment paper and dust with sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving. They will be slightly chewy at first, but they will be nicely crispy as a day or two goes by. Store in a cool, dry place. (Note: if you like them chewy, bake them for about 20 minutes.) Makes about 30 cookies.

D.