Amaretti Thumbprints

 

Amaretti Thumbprints are Italian almond pearls, so easy to make. Simple and perfect cookie recipe for holidays !

 

This simple and delicious, traditional dessert recipe is quite an old one, inherited within my family and perfect for holidays. Loaded with ground almonds, some almond extract, all purpose flour, sugar and honey makes them the best.

What are classic thumbprint cookies made of?

Classic thumbprint cookies recipes are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, rolled in sparkling sugar, and then indented and filled with your choice of jam! These are an all-time favorite cookie recipe, and the filling options are absolutely endless!

 

What makes Amaretti Thumbprints so special ?

The base for these thumbprint cookies is ground almonds. There is no major difference between ground almonds and almond flour since you get almond flour  by grounding blanched almonds. Almond flour is made by removing the skins of the almonds by boiling them in water, and then by grinding and sifting the almonds into a fine flour-like consistency.

If you stick to this recipe, you will enjoy small, crunchy, chewy-inside, macaroon-like cookies filled with red currant or raspberry jam.

 

Why are these named Amaretti Thumbprints ?

The base for this vintage cookie dough are almond flour, egg whites, and sugar.  Amaretto is Italian sweet liquer originated in Sarono. It is made from bitter almonds (Amaretto is Italian word for “ little bitter” ). There are many brands of amaretto and they use some other different bases such as apricot kernels, peach stones and almonds.

What does amaretto liquer taste like ?

Amaretto is rich and sweet, with a strong almond flavor, notes of vanilla and a subtly bitter finish.

How long will thumbprint cookies keep?

Three weeks storage characteristic is due to almond based, cantuccini like batter, once cooked; crunchy and dry. It is well kept in airtight container. That is if you don’t gobble them up within few days.
With time, Amaretti Thumbprints become softer and you don’t need vin santo to support chewing. Not that we would reject a glass for festive days, right ?

In case you wonder: where did thumbprint cookies originate?

These soft and chewy cookies originate from Sweden, where they are called Hallongrotta. Traditionally, Swedish bakers fill them with raspberry jam, but any flavor of jam or jelly will work.

 

That kind of holiday treats were the only ones prepared at my grandmother’s house for holidays since there were no fridges; pantries were made in cold, stone or earthen basements below ground level and were perfect to keep the food during winter, without spoiling. Therefore, these thumbprint cookies are great to make ahead so you can easily plan your holidays’ preparation  !

Perfect Christmas cookie indeed !

 

Once, I think maybe two years ago, I said I could add new category to my posts and it would be named  „ kitchen disasters“.
There were and still are so many situations when things just don’t develop the way I want, because of so many reasons. The only problem is that, when disaster happen, I don’t think about how nice it would be to make a photo; instead, steam gets out of my ears and I try to repair the damage as soon as possible.

So, around Easter time this year, I decided to make a batch of Amaretti Thumbprints to take to my mothers’ but I have forgotten to add flour to the mixture.
I discovered the bowl with flour waiting aside while Amaretti Thumbprints were already in the oven, looking like this :

 

Paul Hollywood would fire me immediately. Would Davide Oldani do the same ? I believe so.
Luckily, it happened just when Katherine published her Grain -Free Chocolate Coconut Tart  so my contribution at my mother’s was done in perfect manner thanks to Katherine.