Description
Traditionally, amaretti cookies are made with almonds, but this version uses ground pistachios for a naturally festive green colour and delicious nutty flavour.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups finely ground pistachios
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the ground pistachios, sugar, and cornstarch until combined.
- In a second bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until foamy and just shy of forming soft peaks. Whisk in the almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything comes together into a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out the dough and roll into 1-inch balls, dusting your hands with icing sugar as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing the balls 1 inch apart.
- Let the cookies rest for 15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating, then bake for 20-22 minutes or until the tops are crackled and dry. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool off completely. Store the cooled cookies in airtight containers until ready to eat – they’ll keep up to 2 weeks, assuming you don’t polish them off in one sitting.
Notes
Make Your Own Ground Pistachios: Pulse unsalted pistachios in a food processor until finely chopped, stopping every so often to scrape the sides and mix things around. Run through a wire mesh sieve to remove any large chunks that you might have missed. (Just make sure not to get too enthusiastic with the food processor, or else you’ll end up with pistachio butter instead!)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian