The short version
Small Italian almond macaroons — crisp, cracked on top, and intensely of marzipan. They're naturally gluten-free, they come individually wrapped in twisted paper that looks beautiful in a bowl, and they're the sweet thing most guests haven't had before.
What it is
Ground almonds, sugar and egg white, baked. Two styles: amaretti secchi are hard and crisp (the Saronno tin); amaretti morbidi are soft and chewy. The bitter almond note traditionally comes from apricot kernels, which is where the name — amaro, bitter — comes from.
- Taste
- intensely almond, sweet, faintly bitter
- Texture
- crisp and light, or soft and chewy
- Look
- small domed biscuits with a cracked top, often in twisted paper wrappers
The mechanism is benzaldehyde — the compound behind almond and apricot-kernel aroma. It's one of the most recognisable flavours in food, so a small biscuit registers strongly. That intensity plus small size is why one or two per person is enough, and why they work as a punctuation mark rather than a serving.
What it pairs with — and why
| Pair it with | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Mascarpone | Crumble amaretti over it. The Italian dessert combination, and the texture contrast is the point. |
| Gorgonzola | Sweet almond against salt and funk. Unexpected and one of the better blue cheese pairings. |
| Brandied cherries | Cherry and almond are botanically related and taste it. Spoon syrup over a crumbled amaretti. |
| Fresh ricotta | Crumbled on top with honey. A three-ingredient dessert. |
| Dark chocolate | The dessert corner. Bitter almond and bitter cocoa. |
| Vin santo and dessert wine | The traditional service. |
Skip it with: savoury cheese and cured meat. This is unambiguously dessert.
How to prep it for the board
- Leave a few in their paper wrappers in the bowl — the twisted paper is half the appeal.
- Unwrap the rest so guests know they can eat them.
- Crumble some over mascarpone or ricotta. That's the best use.
- Serve 0.5 oz per person — one or two biscuits.
- Put them in the dessert corner.
- Keep the tin sealed. They soften in humid air.
- Fix: stale and soft? Five minutes in a 300°F oven crisps them again.
What to buy
| Product | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno | Italian delis, grocery | The red tin. The reference, and the paper wrappers are the look. |
| Amaretti morbidi | Italian delis | Soft and chewy. Different texture, same flavour. |
| Amaretti di Sassello | Italian specialty | Soft Ligurian style. Excellent. |
| Ricciarelli | Italian delis, Christmas | Sienese soft almond biscuits, dusted with sugar. Related and superb. |
| Macarons | Patisseries | Different biscuit, similar role. More fragile and more expensive. |
Label check: almonds should lead the ingredients. Traditional amaretti use apricot kernels for the bitter note — worth knowing if a guest has stone-fruit concerns.
Skip: anything with wheat flour listed, if the gluten-free aspect matters.
Quick FAQ
What are amaretti?
Small Italian almond macaroons made from ground almonds, sugar and egg white. Crisp or chewy depending on style.
Are amaretti gluten-free?
Traditional ones are — they contain no flour. Check the label, as some modern versions add wheat.
What's the difference between crisp and soft amaretti?
Secchi are hard and crisp; morbidi are soft and chewy. Both taste the same.
What do they go with?
Mascarpone and ricotta above all, plus brandied cherries, dark chocolate, and — surprisingly — gorgonzola.
How many per person?
One or two. They're small but intensely flavoured.
