Pistachio Amaretti are a twist on the traditional Italian amaretti cookies, but with the addition of pistachios. Crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside they are the perfect sweet treat with your cup of coffee and especially gorgeous for your holiday dessert table. They are also gluten free!
Lately, I’ve been thinking of that package of chopped pistachios that I brought over from Sicily. I decided I really need to use them so I finally got around to making Sicilian Veal Involtini, which were a huge hit at our house! Next, I figured it was time to make something sweet. I immediately thought of my mother’s traditional amaretti recipe and I decided that pistachios would taste great in those cookies, and wow was I right!
I started making amaretti only one year ago. It was one of those usual situations where my mother had a general idea of the quantity of each ingredient because of course, like all good Italian cooks, she could figure out by eye exactly what amount of each ingredient was needed. It took me about four trials and two visits to her house until I finally got them just right. I did all that so I could finally share the recipe here with all of you. And from the reactions I’ve gotten so far, it was all worth it!
How to make Pistachio Amaretti
Many people have told me that they have never made amaretti ’cause they find them rather intimidating. Yes, you can find piles of them in any good Italian bakery but aside from the fancy look and name, they are one of the easiest cookies you can make! You can literally prepare a batch ready for the oven within ten minutes. Let me walk you through it.- Combine the egg and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the amaretto or vanilla extract.
- Next incorporate the almond flour and ground pistachios. Then stir in the baking powder.
- This will result in a firm dough rather than a batter.
- Roll into tablespoon sized balls, coat lightly in powdered sugar. Then coat one side in chopped pistachios, pressing lightly for the pistachios to stick. Bake at 325F for 15-16 minutes and enjoy!
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A few tips:
- I purchased my pistachios in Sicily and they came chopped as shown below. If these are not available where you live, purchase whole shelled pistachios which you will then grind in your food processor to turn into pistachio flour.
- I tested this recipe using both amaretto and vanilla extracts and quite frankly both turned out delicious. Since I couldn’t decide which I prefer, I’m presenting both options in the recipe. If you’re partial to that traditional amaretto flavor in your cookies, choose that one. But if you love vanilla, go for it. Of course, you can always make half batches of both and see which you prefer.
- Baking time may vary according to your oven. In my oven these take precisely 16 minutes to bake. You are looking for a light brown color underneath. Begin checking the cookies after fifteen minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
- Amaretti must be kept in a tightly sealed container in order to maintain their chewy texture otherwise they’ll be hard as rocks! Store for 3-4 days at room temperature.
- Alternately they can be frozen. This is a great idea of you want to get ahead now on your holiday baking!
That’s all there is to it! I hope you enjoy this recipe or my basic Chewy Amaretti recipe. If you do try them, please post a photo of your creations by tagging me with @mangiabedda or #mangiabedda on Instagram or Facebook. You can also feel free to share on social media by clicking the social icons on this page. Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp Amaretto or vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup ground pistachios, see note
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped pistachios, for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar. Stir in the Amaretto or vanilla extract.
- Add the almond flour, ground pistachios and baking powder and stir until combined and a firm dough is formed.
- Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball. Lightly dredge in the icing sugar, shaking off excess.
- Press down lightly on the chopped pistachios and place pistachio side up on the prepared baking sheets. Continue with the remaining dough.
- Bake for 16 minutes until golden and the tops of the cookies are crackled and the underside are lightly browned.
- Transfer to rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Notes
- If ground pistachios are not available where you live, purchase shelled pistachios which you will then grind in your food processor to turn into pistachio flour.
- I tested this recipe using both amaretto and vanilla extracts and quite frankly both turned out delicious. Since I couldn't decide which I prefer, I'm presenting both options in the recipe.
- Baking time may vary according to your oven. In my oven these take precisely 16 minutes to bake. You are looking for a light brown color underneath. Begin checking the cookies after fifteen minutes to make sure they don't burn.
- Amaretti must be kept in a tightly sealed container in order to maintain their chewy texture otherwise they'll be hard as rocks! Store for 3-4 days at room temperature.
- Alternately they can be frozen.
Nutrition
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Delicious and very easy to make.
Thanks Josie, so glad you enjoyed these cookies!
I have a request for a birthday cookie cake. Do you think I could make a cookie cake with this recipe? If so any suggestions? Thanks so much!
Hello Lisa, I love cookie cakes too but I’m not certain that this would work with this recipe. I’m concerned about the texture if this is baked as one large cookie. But of course I have never tried it so I can’t be certain. If you do give it a try please let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
Hi, great recipes. I made a double batch of these and they are very good. Could I replace the ground pistachios with ground hazelnuts? I would roast and remove the shell of the hazelnuts first. Thank you.
Hello Lucy, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them. I like your idea of trying a hazelnut version of this recipe but to tell you the truth I have not tried it myself. I’m sure they would be really good! Let me know if you give it a try!
Yes, l tried them with roasted, she’ll removed hazelnuts. They were great. My family liked them even more than the pistachio ones. Go figure. Thanks for the recipes.
Hi Lucy, thanks for letting me know how they turned out. Now I’ve got to try this variation too!
Not doing five stars because of the pistachio frustration!🙂 Can the pistachios be salted? My thinking is that for the topping it might be okay, but not in the flour. I am trying to find roasted, shelled ones with no salt. Any help? Thx- and looking forward to making these, if I can.
Hello Ramona, I think I agree that perhaps on the topping the salted ones would be ok but inside them. I’m not sure where you live but I found shelled pistachios at Bulk Barn and they do not have to be roasted. Hope this helps!
Great cookies! Easy to make except for shelling pistachios part.
Hi Tom, yes the shelling can definitely be a pain that’s why I purchase mine already shelled! Other than that they are definitely easy to make. Thanks for your comment!
Delicious and easy to make.
Thank you Julia, glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Nadia. I made these little cookies and replaced Amaretto and vanilla extract with Pistachio extract and I added zest of 1/2 a lemon freshly picked OMG how delightful. I also made them again and forgot to add the zest of lemon. They were still good.
Hi Gabriella, I like it when readers personalize my recipes to suit their own taste. This sounds delicious, I may have to try it as well! Thanks for your comment!
OMG thèse are thé best coolies i have ever made in my life!!!!
Hi Sam, wow! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Indeed they are easy to make and quite tasty, thanks!
Hi, Ive always made my amaretti biscuits with egg whites. I didn’t know that they could be made with whole eggs?
Hi Rose, I based this recipe after my mom’s traditional amaretti cookies and she has always made hers with whole eggs. The result is a chewy cookie slightly crisp on the outside but soft on the inside.
Hi Nadia,
Looking forward to making this recipe. Do you have a gm conversion for almond flour and ground pistachios please? Thanks!
Hi KC, if you take a look at the end of the list of ingredients in the recipe card you can click on “Metric” to get the list in grams. Unfortunately I noticed that it does not provide a conversion for the teaspoons or tablespoons. Here is a handy chart I found that can help with this: https://www.thespruceeats.com/metric-conversion-charts-3054058.
Hope this helps and enjoy the cookies!
Absolutely gorgeous recipe, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and easy to make. Thank you!
Hello Maybelline, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. They are indeed so easy to make! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Wonderful taste and extremely easy to make..love this recipe
Thank you Marilyn, it is definitely one of the easiest cookie recipes I’ve ever made. Glad you enjoyed it!
These look so good. Do I have to use almond flour? Can all purpose be used? If so, same amount?
Hi Judy, almond flour is what makes amaretti cookies distinct from others. Therefore rather than replace with all purpose flour I would simply choose a different cookie recipe instead. I have several other cookie recipes on my blog under the category ‘Cookies’ that use all purpose flour. You may want to check out one of those instead. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Thank you…
These look amazing! Need to make these,
Thanks Nadia.
Thanks Angie, they’re so easy to make. I hope you enjoy them!
Hi! Can I use regular Amaretto Liqueur? If so, how much? Thank you!
Hi Nina, yes you can definitely replace with Amaretto Liqueur. Since the extract has more of a concentrated flavor I would recommend that you try using from 1-2 tablespoons of liqueur. You can decide how strong an Amaretto flavor that you like best. Thanks for your question, hope you enjoy them!
What a wonderful idea to use pistachios! Of course, Sicily is well known for this wonderful nut. Nadia, I have over 20 different types of amaretti recipes but not one with pistachios. Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Maria, I’ve been enjoying looking for ways to cook with these pistachios. Hope you enjoy them!