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    Home > Vegan Dessert Recipes > Vegan Cookie Recipes

    Vegan and Gluten-free Italian Amaretti Cookies

    Posted: Dec 5, 2018 ยท Updated: Dec 5, 2021

    Jump to Recipe

    Add my vegan and gluten-free Italian Amaretti Cookies to your holiday cookie platter and watch them go! The dough takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and is made entirely in the food processor.

    Vegan and gluten-free Italian Amaretti Cookies, soft, airy, chewy and perfectly delicious treats for your holiday cookie platter. #vegan #glutenfree #soyfree #italian #cookies #holidays HolyCowVegan.net

    Amaretti cookies are one of my favorite holiday treats to make and eat. I had posted a vegan version long ago on this blog, but this time I have for you a cookie that's gluten-free. Not only that, it's incredibly simple and easy to make.

    And it's so close to the real thing, you will be blown away.

    A cookie tin with vegan and gf amaretti cookies nestled inside a red and white napkin.

    If you're asking now what are Amaretti cookies are, here's the primer: they are light, soft, airy and somewhat chewy, and they have been called Italy's answer to the French macaron. And did I say they are altogether delicious?

    The texture of these cookies depends heavily on egg whites but since those are no-nos on this blog, I used aquafaba, or chickpea brine.

    Making these cookies couldn't be easier. I first whip up the aquafaba in a food processor until it's holding soft peaks, and then I throw in all the ingredients one after the other. Press a button, and your dough's ready.

    All you have to do now is roll the cookies into little balls, place them on a baking sheet, flatten them a bit, and bake.

    A close-up shot of two amaretti cookies stacked on top of each other on a glass plate, with more cookies in the background.

    You need just eight ingredients for this cookie, and there are no added oils or fats:

    • Almond flour
    • Gluten-free all purpose flour
    • Powdered sugar
    • Turbinado sugar -- for rolling the cookies in for that pretty look
    • Aquafaba
    • Baking powder
    • Vanilla extract
    • Almond extract or liqueur

    How to make the perfect vegan and gluten-free Amaretti Cookies:

    • Make sure you whip your aquafaba. It couldn't be easier in a food processor, but be patient. Wait until it begins to hold soft peaks. You can help stabilize your whipped aquafaba with a pinch of cream of tartar-- they way you would if you were whipping egg whites.
    • Make sure you use some almond flavoring, in addition to the almond flour, for cookies that really taste like almonds. Almond extract or almond liqueur both would work.
    • Use powdered sugar in your cookies for the right texture, not granulated.
    • You can use either granulated or powdered sugar to roll your cookies just before baking. Both give different-looking but equally delicious cookies.

    I love the fact that these bring a touch of the exotic to the holidays. Try 'em today and come back and let me know how they turned out for you.

    ***

    Try these vegan cookies next:

    • Vegan and Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
    • Buttery Vegan Almond Cookies
    • Vegan Coconut Almond Macaroons (GF)
    • Vegan Pecan Pie Bars, gluten-free, no corn syrup
    • Chocolate Coconut Cookie Bars, Vegan, Gluten-Free
    • Vegan, Gluten-Free White Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
    • Vegan Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies, Naturally Sweetened and Gluten-Free (20-minute recipe)
    • Vegan Orange Almond Biscotti

    ***

    Amaretti cookies nestled in a red and white napkin against a black background

    A baking sheet with rows of plump vegan and glutenfree amaretti cookies

    Vegan and gluten-free Italian Amaretti Cookies, soft, airy, chewy and perfectly delicious treats for your holiday cookie platter. #vegan #glutenfree #soyfree #italian #cookies #holidays HolyCowVegan.net

    Glutenfree and Vegan Italian Amaretti Cookies

    Add my gluten-free and vegan Italian Amaretti Cookies to your holiday cookie platter and watch them go! The dough takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and is made entirely in the food processor. 
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Cookies
    Cuisine: Italian, Soy-free
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Gluten free vegan amaretti cookies
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 40 mins
    Servings: 18 cookies
    Calories: 72kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Equipment

    • Food processor or bowl
    • Baking sheet

    Ingredients 
    US Customary - Metric

    • 1 ยฝ cups almond flour
    • ยฝ cup all purpose gluten-free flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 5 tablespoon aquafaba (chickpea brine)
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract (or almond liqueur like Amaretto)
    • ยผ cup granulated sugar (or powdered sugar for rolling the cookies. I used turbinado sugar)
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • If using a food processor, place the aquafaba in the bowl and run it on high speed, with the feed tube open, for about five minutes. The quantity of liquid is too small for it to splash through the open feed tube and on you, but if you wish hold a kitchen towel over the mouth of the feed tube for a few seconds until the aquafaba starts to get foamy. You can also whip your aquafaba and continue making the dough in a stand mixer or with bowl and a hand mixer.
    • When the aquafaba starts to firm up and holds soft peaks when you pick it up with a spoon, add the powdered sugar, ยผth cup at a time, pulsing for a few seconds after each addition, until all of the sugar is incorporated.
    • Now you can just dump in the remaining ingredients -- the almond flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, and vanilla and almond extracts. Close the lid and pulse for a few seconds or until the dough comes together.
    • Remove the blade carefully from the food processor bowl. Prep a cookie sheet by spraying lightly with oil or by covering the bottom with parchment paper.
    • Place the sugar for rolling in a dish.
    • Use your fingers to take a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball, about ยพ inch in diameter. Roll the ball of cookie dough in the sugar and then place it on the cookie sheet. Press lightly on the top to flatten a little.
    • Do this with the remaining dough. You will get around 18 cookies. Place the cookies at least an inch apart on the baking sheet.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the bottoms are golden-brown.
    • Remove the baking sheet to a rack and allow the cookies to cool at least 10 minutes before sliding them off the cookie sheet. Let the amaretti cookies cool completely on a rack.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1.3g | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 8.3g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    Vegan and gluten-free Italian Amaretti Cookies, soft, airy, chewy and perfectly delicious treats for your holiday cookie platter. #vegan #glutenfree #soyfree #italian #cookies #holidays HolyCowVegan.net

     

     

     

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    About Vaishali


    I cook and eat simple, tasty and nutritious plant-based food in my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous

      September 09, 2020 at 5:05 am

      Thank you! Would regular flour be OK to substitute?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 25, 2020 at 10:48 am

        Yes!

        Reply
    2. Jennie

      December 21, 2019 at 2:07 pm

      Can these Amaretti cookies be frozen without losing the unique texture?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        December 21, 2019 at 2:17 pm

        Yes!

        Reply
        • Jennie

          December 21, 2019 at 2:49 pm

          Thank you! Iโ€™m looking forward to seeing how they come out- a special treat for my vegan sister who used to love traditional Italian cookies.

          Reply
    3. Joann PUCCINI

      December 07, 2018 at 1:27 am

      5 stars
      All i can say is wow..jp

      Reply
    4. Diane

      December 06, 2018 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      These are incredible. Absolutely delish. The family devoured them within minutes of getting them out of the oven-- they wouldn't even wait for the cookies to cool!!

      Reply
    5. Lissa Sperandeo

      December 05, 2018 at 8:01 pm

      If I want to use egg whites how many do I usa?

      Reply

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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