Chocolate Espresso Amaretti Cookies, another delicious variation on a classic Italian almond cookie. Only 7 ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare these cookies, just in time for the holiday season! 
I baked my first amaretti cookies just over three years ago. I can’t believe it took me so long to make these incredibly easy cookies! Since then I’ve created a twist on this classic Italian almond cookie, Pistachio Amaretti, and both are among the most popular recipes on my blog. So I’ll take this opportunity to thank all of you for following along and supporting me on this food journey of mine!
I recently decided that cocoa powder and espresso coffee would be great additions to my basic amaretti cookie recipe. And I was so right! So just in time for the holiday season right ahead of us I created these Chocolate Espresso Amaretti Cookies.
They are chocolatey, not too sweet (just like I like them), they have a subtle espresso flavor and are chewy! I decided to add brewed espresso in this recipe instead of ground espresso beans. Although the ground espresso beans offered a more intense espresso flavor, all of my taste testers agreed that brewed espresso resulted in a much better texture, both soft and chewy.
Christmas celebrations will not be what we are usually used to this year therefore distributing edible goodies to friends and family will be a great idea (or any year for that matter!). So why not prepare a variety of cookies such as Tetù (Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies); Italian Lemon Glazed Cookies; Classic Biscotti; or Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses to give to family and friends?
Step by Step Instructions:
All you need are the following 7 simple ingredients to make this recipe: 
- An egg
- Granulated sugar
- Brewed espresso coffee, cooled
- Amaretto extract: cause they just wouldn’t be amaretti without it!
- Almond flour: I used almond flour made from blanched almonds which has a finer texture as compared to almond meal in which the almonds are not blanched and therefore is more course in texture. However, either type of flour will do for this recipe.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar: for rolling the cookies in before baking
You’ll find the complete printable recipe card at the end of the post. The following are step by step instructions with images.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking silicone mat.
In a medium sized bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Stir in cooled espresso coffee and amaretto extract.
In a separate bowl combine the almond flour and cocoa powder.
Use a fork to stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture to form a firm, slightly sticky dough.
Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. Drop the dough into a bowl with powdered sugar and coat all sides.
Roll into a ball with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheet. 
Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are crackled and they are lightly browned underneath. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and suggestions:
- Store in an airtight container (to ensure that they remain chewy) at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- These cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- If you don’t have or don’t particularly enjoy espresso substitute with coffee of your choice.
If you try out this easy cookie recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp brewed espresso coffee cooled
- 1/2 tsp Amaretto extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking silicone mat.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Stir in cooled espresso coffee and amaretto extract.
- In a separate bowl combine the almond flour and cocoa powder.
- Use a fork to stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture to form a firm, slightly sticky dough.
- Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. Drop the dough into a bowl with powdered sugar and coat all sides. Shape into a ball with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are crackled and they are lightly browned underneath. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container (to ensure that they remain chewy) at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- These cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- If you don't have or don't particularly enjoy espresso substitute with coffee of your choice.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact portion size and ingredients used.
This has become a favorite cookie recipe for our family! Will Dutch process cocoa powder work in this recipe?
Hello Sofia, I’m so glad you enjoyed these easy cookies. And yes you may use dutch process cocoa as well. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I tried the recipe and I think they are great so simple to make . Will make several times. Great recipe.
Hello Gina, thank you very much for your comment. So glad you enjoyed these cookies!
One of my favorite cookies one of the best cookies I have ever eaten.
THank you very much Gaetano, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies!
I made these today for one of my Christmas cookies. I should’ve doubled the batch. These are fantastic, delicious, chewy yet a bit of crunch on the outside. So good and easy to make.
Hello Mima, so glad to hear you enjoyed them. The good thing is they’re so easy to make so you can whip up another batch in no time. Thanks for your comment and Merry Christmas to you!
Thank you Nadia. I did end up making another batch. These are really authentic Italian amaretti, the kind you find in bakeries and weddings etc. I still make my mother’s Italian cookie recipes as well. Merry Christmas to you too!
So glad you enjoyed them and do continue with your mom’s cookie recipes, it’s so important to keep these traditions alive!
Hello Nadia!!!
I made your Chewy Amaretti recently as well as the Chocolate Espresso Amaretti cookies. They are both so delicious and I am thrilled to be able to make them myself as I have Celiac Disease and cannot eat the ones made in Italian bakeries. Thank you for your recipes and for sharing them with us. Buon Natale e felice Anno Nuovo.
Hello Giovanna, thank you I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed these recipes. And they are so easy to make that you don’t have to go without when you have a craving for them. All the best to you and yours for Christmas and the New Year, grazie!
Can I use Disaronno instead of extract?
Hello Karisa, interestingly enough I tried using Disaronno in my mom’s basic amaretti cookies and I did not like the results. I felt like I needed more Disaronno than extract to get a flavorful cookie. That said, you can try it with more Disaronno than extract but you may have to increase the amount of almond flour so that you have the same firm cookie dough consistency needed for this recipe. Please do let me know if you give it a try!
Can you use regular flour. We have nut issues
Hello Sandy, unfortunately regular flour can not be substituted for amaretti, otherwise they are simply not amaretti. The almond flour is the key ingredient in this recipe. I could recommend these chocolate spice cookies instead:https://www.mangiabedda.com/tetu-sicilian-chocolate-spice-cookies/. They do have walnuts but you can eliminate that ingredient as these cookies are not always made with walnuts. Hope this helps!
I made this recipe using black onyx cocoa powder and a combination of liqueur and almond extract. It was super easy and it turned out delightfully chewy and delicious.My son just loves anything almond flavored and I will definitely be adding these cookies to my list for him. Thank you for the recipe!
Hello Kathy, thank you for your kind feedback! Your variation sounds absolutely wonderful to me, so glad you enjoyed these easy cookies!
Hi Happy New Year! can we sub the sugar for stevia sugar? If yes will the ratio 1:1 thank you!
Hello Anna, the ratio is actually 1/8 tsp of stevia per tsp of regular sugar. Stevia is a lot sweeter then sugar, therefore since you would have to use a lot less it may affect the texture of the cookies. Although I have never attempted this myself, if I were to try it I would adjust the recipe by adding more almond flour. You want a firm textured dough that can be easily rolled. I hope this helps and please let me know if you give it a try!
Cookies have NO right to be this good. I doubled the batch and it wasn’t enough. I intended on sharing with neighbors and family but now I want to eat them all myself. I bake quite a bit and I have to say this recipe is my favorite for now and I’ve made a lot of cookies (recipes). I did use half almond extract and half Disaranno liqueur. The dough is STICKY. It made me regret things for a minute but it is SOOOO WORTH IT!!! I’m not even a chocolate fanatic and this recipe is incredible. I have a Nespresso maker but also love instant espresso. I couldn’t taste the coffee at all it just enhanced the chocolate flavor. If you are iffy about the coffee part you will love the recipe as is. Next time I will be adding extra Cafe Bustelo instant espresso powder. You can find boxes of like 6 sticks for like $1 at Target or sometimes Walmart. I also have a huge jar of it but the sticks taste better. The huge jar tastes chemically. Just a tip if anybody cares haha. I was afraid the powdered sugar outside would make them too sweet but again they were perfect. I thought next time I might add some espresso to the powdered sugar for rolling though for a little bit of bitter with the sweet. I also used Special Dark cocoa powder. Next time I’m going to get some of the really good stuff from the Spice and Tea Exchange or Valrhona. This recipe is delicious with everything simple but I want to try it once batch a little bougie too. I am blown away at how incredible this easy recipe is. It deserves 10 stars. One other note my oven doesn’t cook evenly and runs hot. I always turn it 25 degrees lower than recipes call for and shorten time. I put the cookies in for 8 minutes and then turned the pan and baked another 4 minutes and mine were ready. Two days later and mine are still like soft perfect brownies in the middle. The perfect Amaretti texture inside and out crunchy out and soft in. I used the smallest pampered chef scoop/1tablespoon scoop. I am so glad I came across this website.
Now I’m going to have to try the other Amaretti recipes and I’ve already added to my shopping list to make the orange juice cookies. I’m just torn between making these again or making a different recipe haha. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.
Hello Jenny, all I can say is wow, I am truly flattered and thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed these cookies. And thank you for sharing all of your tips with me and me readers, very much appreciated!
Hello! This recipe sounds wonderful. I just looked all over online for Amaretto Extract. All I could find was Amaretto type flavoring. Could you share your source for the extract?
Thank you. Elaine
Hi Elaine, I purchase my extract in my local Italian grocery store. However you can also find it on Amazon. Hope you can find some!
Great taste and easy to make !
Hi Tom, yes they are very easy to make. I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thanks for letting me know!
Hi can we sub for almond extract or amaretto liquor instead of amaretto extract?
Hi Anna, you may substitute the same amount for almond extract as amaretto extract. However if you choose the amaretto liquor, you will have to add more liquor than extract. The flavor in the extract is more concentrated than in the liquor therefore you will have to add at least 2 tbsp of Amaretto liquor. In this case you may also have to add a bit more almond flour if your dough is too sticky because of the extra liquid. It can definitely work but will required some experimenting. Hope this helps!