Total Time: 30 minutes
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These delicious Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies are a beloved Italian gluten-free treat. With a thin, crisp outer shell, a chewy interior, and a fabulous seasonal flavor combination of sweet orange zest and bits of tart cranberries, they are an instant hit with the first bite!
I made these Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies a few weeks ago and sent plates to some of the neighbors down our little mountain road. When I got rave-review texts in return, I knew we had a blog-worthy hit!
Blog-worthy
What do I mean by blog-worthy? It's a familiar term in our family. I try a lot of recipes but I also discard a lot of recipes. If they're "good" but not "great", they get dumped or tweaked and tweaked and tweaked a little more. If they're still not "great", out the door they go!
When I'm testing new recipes on the family they're sure to let me know whether it's "blog-worthy". That moniker is the highest accolade a recipe can get - and these Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies definitely qualify!
In the family
Speaking of family, Amaretti cookies are beginning to become a little family of their own, here at The Café. It started with our Ridiculously Easy Lemon Amaretti Cookies(pictured below).
The next addition to the family was this delicious Raspberry Jam Amaretti Cookies recipe and now, Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies. See what I mean? We're growing a little Amaretti clan here!
What are "Amaretti" cookies?
If you've never experienced Amaretti cookies, you might be wondering what they are. To be honest, before I started baking this type of cookie, I thought they were cookies flavored with Amaretto (a sweet Italian liqueur that's flavored with almonds). I was wrong!
The King Arthur Baking Company gives a simple but succinct description: "Traditional to Saronno, Italy, these cookies are an amaretto (almond-flavored) variety of France's macarons." I agree, they're chewy, dense and light at the same time, with a thin, crisp shell.
The history of Amaretti Cookies? Giadzy, an Italian gift, artisan ingredient, and recipe site, gives this account:
Amaretti cookies have been popular for hundreds of years, and they are said to have originated between the 17th and 18th centuries. Like many Italian recipes, the exact history is debated, and there are a few popularized stories revolving around the origin of amaretti. Our favorite tale (whether or not it's true!) involves a couple who owned a bakery in Saronno. In 1719, a cardinal from Milan was visiting the town and wanted a special pastry to be created to commemorate his arrival. However, the couple only had apricot kernels, sugar, and egg whites - so they decided to make do with what they had. Thus, amaretti was born - and over the hundreds of years that have passed since, it has become a predominant confection spanning every bakery in Italy.
It's fun to speculate on the history of these delightful biscotti (the Italian word for cookies) but there's no speculation needed on their level of deliciousness. We call them "crazy delicious"!
A royal pain
If you've ever chopped cranberries by hand, you probably agree with me that it's not a fun task. The minute you start chopping, the little crimson balls seem to suddenly develop a mind of their own and roll here, there and everywhere! I've discovered that my Vidalia Chopper is a great tool for chopping cranberries. It takes me two swipes (or whacks) to chop all of the cranberries for this recipe. I just lay them on the grate, bring down the top to slightly engage the berries in the grate, then give it a good whack. Voila - a royal pain made super simple!
I'm not big on kitchen gadgets but I love this little workhorse and use mine almost daily. It's perfect for chopping fruits and veggies for soups, salads and so much more. (BTW, this is not a sponsored post, I truly love this useful tool!)
To sprinkle - or not
These Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies get rolled in cane (or granulated) sugar after the dough is scooped up and rolled into balls. This gives the cookies a nice, crisp, crunch on the outside.
An additional coat of powdered sugar is optional - it's sprinkled over the cookies after they're baked and cooled. This gives them a pretty presentation and accentuates the crackles and crevices that Amaretti cookies are known for. Either way, they'll be delicious!
A lovely gift!
These Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies are the perfect little gift to say, "Thanks", "Welcome to the neighborhood", "I care", I'm sorry", "You're appreciated"... We love to dress things up when we give presents and gifts from the kitchen are no exception. So we've created a pretty label to attach to these cookies.
If you'd like to receive a PDF for these free printable labels, just leave us a comment in the comment section below this post. We'll email the PDF to you along with instructions on how to print the labels up and links for the boxes and ribbon shown in the pictures.
If you need an easy, super delicious baking project, look no further! These little blog-worthy bites of heaven will be sure to become favorites around your house, neighborhood, workplace... everywhere you share them! ENJOY!
Cafe Tips for making these Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies
- This recipe requires just one bowl, a whisk and a spatula or wooded spoon. It starts with the egg whites being whisked for 1 minute until nice and frothy. Don't cheat on this as it's important to incorporate air for finished texture.
- Once the egg whites are frothy, granulated sugar is added and there is an additional minute of whisking. Again, this is important as it helps dissolve the sugar and enhances the crisp outer shell. I like to set a timer when I whisk.
- I've found tipping my mixing bowl to the side makes whisking a little easier and more efficient. I love these pyrex mixing/measuring bowls with a handle.
- If you're looking for a good whisk, I love this Sur La Table whisk. A friend gave me one a while back and it's the one I always reach for.
- You will have a few extra yolks as this recipe calls for only the whites. What to do with the yolks? Make this fabulous Microwave Lemon Curd. Spread it on your morning toast, spoon it over fresh fruit, make this Lemon Curd Shortbread Tart or this Easy Lemon Curd Mouse... I know people who love to eat it with a spoon straight from the jar, it's that good!
- This recipe calls for the "finely grated zest from 1 large or 2 medium-size oranges". You'll need a zester to remove just the zest (the orange part) as you don't want the bitter pith (the white part). I love my microplane zester. It's also great for grating cheese, chocolate, garlic, etc.
- I love using a silicone spatula when I make cookie dough and cake batter. I have a bunch of these spatulas and use most of them every day.
- I use a #24 scoop to portion out these cookies. It holds a little over 2½ tablespoons or 40g. If I want all of my cookies to be the same size, I use my kitchen scale. I like to make these cookies right around 40g each. At this size, the recipe will yield 11-12 cookies.
- One little tip about the beautiful cracks and crevices - my daughter-in-law, Lindsay, made these cookies a few weeks ago. She said her cookies didn't have many cracks. I asked her how she measured the almond flour and she replied that she simply scooped it up and leveled it off. I told her to try spooning the flour into the cup the next time instead of scooping. She reported back; "Ok measuring the almond flour that way made a big difference! The cookies are lighter and cracker more!"
- I like to use cane sugar for rolling my balls of dough. Cane sugar is just a little coarser than granulated sugar (though not as coarse as turbinado or Demerara sugar) and gives the cookie exteriors a bit more crunch. You can find cane sugar in the same section of the grocery store where you find other types of sugar. Granulated sugar will also work for rolling.
- I use a powdered sugar/flour duster to evenly sprinkle the powdered sugar over my finished cookies.
- If you find the dough is sticky when you're rolling the portions into balls, wet your hands with a few drops of water and you'll have an easier time (not super wet hands, just a drop or two of water).
- This Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies recipe makes about 12-14 one-ounce cookies. I like to weigh the dough as I scoop it up as I am miserable at eye-balling equal-sized portions. I make mine right around 35g which is a little over one ounce.
- This recipe can be doubled if you need more cookies.
Thought for the day:
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 40:26
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
Ridiculously Easy Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies
Chris Scheuer
These delicious Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies are a beloved Italian gluten-free treat. With a thin, crisp outer shell, a chewy interior, and a fabulous seasonal flavor combination of sweet orange zest and bits of tart cranberries, they are an instant hit with the first bite!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Italian, Italian-Inspired
SERVINGS 14
CALORIES 147 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 large egg whites
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- finely grated zest from 1 large or two medium-size oranges
- ⅓ cup fresh cranberries, chopped small
- 2 ⅓ cups almond flour, not almond meal
- cane sugar or granulated sugar, for rolling
To finish:
- powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the prep:
Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
Line a sheet pan or cookie pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Add ⅓ cup cane (or regular granulated) sugar to a flat-bottomed bowl. This will be used for rolling the dough balls before baking. Set aside for now.
For the dough:
Whisk the egg whites vigorously in a medium lage bowl or 1 minute (don’t cheat!). The mixture will be very frothy and a pale, pale yellow.
Add the sugar and whisk for another minute (I set a timer). At this point, the mixture will be very smooth and creamy white (a little thicker than heavy cream).
Switch to a spatual now and add the baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Add the vanilla and almond extracts along with the orange zest and chopped cranberries. Stir again.
Lastly, add the almond flour (spoon the flour into your measuring cup as you go, then level it with a flat-edged knife). Stir until the flour is incorporated.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then scoop into 10-12 equal-size scoops (I like to make mine around 35-40g each which is slightly over an ounce to an ounce and a half).
Scoop up a few portions at a time, and place them right into the prepared bowl of cane (or granulated) sugar. Turn each dough ball to coat with the sugar, then roll them into balls. Use a light hand while rolling.
Place the balls on the prepared sheet pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for a bit of expansion. If I’m not planning to dust the cookies with powdered sugar, after baking, I like to sprinkle each cookie with a bit more of the cane sugar.
To bake:
Bake for 18-22 minutes. The cookies won’t take on much color but the bottoms should be a nice light golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
To finish (optional):
When completely cool, use a fine-mesh sieve or a powdered sugar duster to add a pretty layer of powdered sugar. I like to pick up each cookie and rotate it to get the sides covered with powdered sugar.
Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.
Nutrition
Calories: 147kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.001gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.001gSodium: 91mgPotassium: 25mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Orange Cranberry Amaretti Cookies
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