Lemon Amaretti Cookies are a delicious take on traditional Italian Amaretti cookies. Soft and chewy amaretti cookies are great for any occasion. Made with almond flour, sugar, egg whites, lemon zest and juice, and rolled in powdered sugar.
Soft and chewy lemon amaretti cookies are the recipe you need in your life! This pretty and simple cookie comes together in minutes and are great for holiday cookie exchanges, brunches, or just when you need a delicious treat.
These Lemon Amaretti Cookies are so simple to make and only require six ingredients:
- Almond Flour
- Sugar
- Egg Whites
- Cream of Tartar
- Lemon
- Powdered Sugar
If you’ve never had an amaretti cookie, it’s a crackled cookie that’s chewy on the inside. The traditional Amaretti Cookie recipe features Amaretto liqueur and almond extract. And for a lemon cocktail, don’t miss this Limoncello Spritz.
So if you love lemon and the chewy texture of amaretti cookies, you are going to love this recipe. Perfect for holidays, gifting, or just a great cookie to have on hand for snacking.
How to make Lemon Amaretti Cookies
Firstly, you need to preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment or non-stick baking mat.
Secondly, whisk together the almond flour and sugar. You can find almond flour at any grocery store. If you’ve never baked with it before, almond flour is simply ground up blanched (peeled) almonds.
Next, you will need to whisk together the eggs whites and cream of tartar. You want to beat the eggs until they reach the point of about medium peaks; they will hold their shape but are not quite at the firm stage. Then, fold in the lemon zest and lemon juice into the eggs.
Finally, use a spoon to combine the dry ingredients with the egg mixture. Stir until just combined. The mixture will be slightly crumbly.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out even-sized balls of dough. Roll into a ball using your hands. Lastly, roll the ball in powdered sugar and place on your baking sheet leaving about an inch between the cookies.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cookies are light in color and slightly golden on the bottom. Cool on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
Italian Cookie Recipes
If you love traditional Italian cookie recipes, be sure to check out these out:
- Almond Ricotta Cookies are soft and pillowy with a delicious almond glaze.
- Chocolate Espresso Cookies are made with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and instant espresso.
- Italian Thumbprint Cookies are rolled in crushed almonds and topped with delicious fig jam.
- Greek Butter Cookies are a similar cookie to the traditional Italian wedding cookie.
- Limoncello Ricotta Cookies are perfect for any occasion and have a delicious lemon flavor.
- Amaretti Cookies are the traditional Italian cookie flavored with Amaretto liqueur.
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies are a soft lemon cookie with a cake-like texture.
I hope you love this recipe for Lemon Amaretti Cookies! These soft and chewy cookies are great for any occasion. Give them a try and comment below to let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Lemon Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (one lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour and sugar; set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, whisk the eggs whites and cream of tartar until they hold peaks. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and use a spoon to stir until all ingredients are combined and a dough forms.
- Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out 1 inch balls of dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into a ball shape. Then roll the ball in powdered sugar just to coat. Place the cookie on the baking sheet leaving about an inch and a half between each cookie.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are lightly golden and the tops of the cookies start to crack. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I had some leftover ground pistachio so used that plus almond flour. Excellent recipe, appreciated by my gluten free friends.
I made these for the 1st time yesterday and am now making my 2nd lot as the recipe was spot on and they turned out perfectly and were absolutely delicious.
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed them. They are one of my favorite cookies 🙂
Amazing cookies thank you so much for sharing this recipe. They’ve become a family favorite
Loved at my office by GF and non GF people alike!! Thanks for posting!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it!
They came out delicious. But are they supposed to flatten a little or stay in ball form?
They usually stay fairly fluffy and round.
We didn’t have cream of tar tar, so I replaced this with 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Turned out perfectly and my husband and three children all liked them too. Lovely consistency. They’re gone already, so I guess this one will be made again. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Glad the lemon juice worked 🙂
So eary and absoloutely delicious.
1. Can you omit lemon and add cocoa instead. If so, do ingredients have to change?
2. Can you use liquor instead of lemon?
Look forward to your response
I’ve never tried with cocoa, so I’m not sure the measurements. And you can definitely substitute liquor if you like. Enjoy!
Can you please tell me if Almond Flour and Almond Meal are the same. I’ve never seen Almond Flour where I live. Would Almond Meal be ok?
The main difference is that almond meal is made from raw un blanched almonds and almond flour is made from blanched (peeled) almonds. You should be able to use them interchangeable when baking. Enjoy!
Made these for my family and coworkers…liked by all! And so easy.
Hi Judith! So happy you all loved them! 🙂
First time baking a lemon version of amaretti and we all loved it! I will need to alternative between straight almond and this lemon version from now on. 🙂
These cookies look are delicious. Can’t wait to make them again.
These cookies had the most amazing soft texture. I couldn’t stop at 1!
They are so addicting!
Can I use regular flour?! I hate almond anything!
Amaretti have to be made with almond flour. You should try my Lemon Ricotta Cookies instead!
Mmmmm … what a wonderful spin on the traditional Amaretti Cookie recipe, with a refreshing, bright pop of lemon flavor! Especially great timing find this recipe, too, as the holiday baking season is just around the corner – thank you!