There are several versions and recipes for amaretti, these delicious cookies usually made with almonds, sugar, and egg whites.

Some amaretti are crispy and crumbly, like those from Saronno, while others are soft, like those from Sassello. Both have a round shape, somewhat flattened, with a cracked surface.

The recipes can also vary and may include the use of leavening agents or a common leavening ingredient in Italy for cookie recipes, such as ammonia for sweets. I generally prepare amaretti when I have leftover egg whites from other recipes that only require the yolk. I make them in large quantities and store them to use later, perhaps to prepare other desserts, like bonet, or for sweet doughs. My recipe is a bit “old-fashioned” because it doesn’t require any leavening agent, which I wouldn’t find here in Boston anyway, and it includes a stovetop step that makes them crumbly like nougat.

The recipe is very simple but tasty, and during baking your house will smell of roasted almonds and sugar.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

Servings: 6

Cost estimate:

Total recipe cost: $10.40 for about 40 pieces. All the ingredients are from Trader Joe’s.

Ingredients:

• Almonds and hazelnuts: 300 g
• Granulated sugar: 300 g
• Egg whites: 130 g

Method:

Toast the nuts in the oven, let them cool down. Pass them through a food processor with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and chop them fairly finely, then add the remaining sugar.

Beat the egg whites until firm and gradually add the chopped nuts with the sugar.

You will get a mixture with a sticky consistency. Transfer it to a non-stick pot, place it on the stove and, without stopping stirring, cook until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot.

Pour the mixture onto a marble work surface, or onto parchment paper, spread it out and let it cool slightly.

Using a teaspoon, take small portions, use your hands to roll them into balls and arrange them well spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 140°C for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy with a nice glass of Passito di Pantelleria wine, or Vin Santo, or Albana Passito wine.

Tips:

Store in a tightly sealed container.