Amaretti are Italian cookies made with ground almonds or marzipan. They can be flavored with chocolate or liqueurs and are often served with dessert beverages. Macaroons are easy to make with almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. They can be baked and served on their own or used in other desserts.
Amaretti are Italian cookies typically made with ground almonds or marzipan and have become a popular dessert cookie around the world. Basically a type of macaroon, macaroon cookies are typically simple to make and bake only briefly before chilling and serving. They can also be flavored with other ingredients such as chocolate and flavored liqueurs, although plain almond cookies are traditional. Macaroons are delicious on their own and can be served with sherbet or ice cream for an added treat. Baked cookies can also be crushed and used in other desserts, such as for pie crusts.
Often served with dessert beverages such as dessert wines or digestifs, amaretti biscuits can be made several days before serving and will keep well. The dough can also be made and stored frozen, then thawed and baked just before serving, to make these already quick and easy cookies even quicker. Macaroons are traditionally light and somewhat delicate yet full of flavour.
The macaroons are made quite simply and only almond paste, sugar and some egg whites may be required. Marzipan can be found in most supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as baking supply stores and bakery suppliers. The marzipan comes in a tube or similar container and is quite thick, with a consistency similar to unbaked cookie dough.
A fair amount of almond paste is broken into small pieces and placed in a food processor with the sugar. This is then processed until the paste and sugar are thoroughly blended and have a uniform consistency. The egg whites are then added one at a time and processed until thoroughly blended, with further processing after the final egg white until the mixture is smooth.
The macaroon mixture is then placed into a sizable pastry bag without a piping tip, and is squeezed into small uniform rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. They can then be sprinkled with a little sugar, then baked and finally removed from the oven to cool. Once cool, the biscuits are gently removed from the parchment and usually placed on a platter or similar plate for presentation and serving. Any macaroons that stick to the parchment can be removed by lightly rubbing a damp towel on the other side of the parchment where the cookie is stuck; this will cause the cookie to be lost.
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