Getting Started
Alright, so I got this urge to bake something simple but tasty, and gluten-free amaretti cookies came to mind. I’d made them before, but it’s always a bit of an adventure each time.
First thing, I pulled out all the stuff I needed. It’s not a complicated list, which is nice.
- Almond flour – the fine kind.
- Sugar – just regular white granulated sugar.
- Some egg whites – I had a couple left over from something else.
- Almond extract – gotta have that strong almond smell.
- A tiny bit of salt.
I also grabbed some powdered sugar for rolling later, but you don’t absolutely need it. Then, I cranked up the oven to heat up. I set mine to around 325°F (that’s about 160°C). Got my baking sheets ready with parchment paper too, saves cleaning hassle.
Mixing it Up
Into a big bowl went the almond flour and the granulated sugar. I added that pinch of salt too. Just whisked those together quickly with a fork to get rid of any lumps in the flour.
Then, I poured in the egg whites and a splash of the almond extract. Started mixing it all together. It gets pretty stiff and sticky quite fast. Honestly, I ditched the fork and just used my hands towards the end to make sure it all came together into a proper dough. It’s messy, but it works best for me.
Shaping and Rolling
Okay, this part is always a bit sticky. I put the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Then I pinched off small bits of the dough, maybe about a teaspoon or so each? Rolled them between my palms to make little balls. They don’t have to be perfect.
My hands got coated in sticky dough pretty quick, so I rinsed them off once or twice. After rolling each ball, I dropped it into the powdered sugar bowl and gave it a little toss to coat it. Then I placed them onto the baking sheet I prepared earlier, leaving some space between them because they spread out a tiny bit.
Baking Time
Once the sheet was full, into the preheated oven it went. Now, you gotta watch these things. I set a timer for about 15 minutes initially.
Around that time, I checked on them. You’re looking for them to be puffed up a little, with those classic cracks on top, and maybe just starting to get a little golden around the bottom edges. Mine took closer to 18 minutes this time. Ovens vary, you know? So just keep an eye out. They should still feel a little soft if you gently poke one, but not wet.
Cooling Down and Eating
I pulled the baking sheet out and just let the cookies sit right there on the sheet for a few minutes. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes? They firm up as they cool. If you move them too soon, they might break.
After that initial cooling, I carefully moved them onto a wire rack to cool down completely. The smell in the kitchen was fantastic – really strong almond.
And that was it! They came out pretty good. Chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and packed with that almond flavour. Perfect little gluten-free treat. Definitely making these again soon.