📌 Hazelnut and Cocoa Amaretti

Posted 19 April 2026 by: Admin #Recipes

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Servings

20 amaretti

A rainy Sunday afternoon. You have some egg whites sitting in the fridge for three days. It’s exactly the right time to make amaretti.

Final result — Hazelnut-cocoa amaretti presented on a wooden board; a broken cookie reveals its chewy heart.

Stacked in a small pile in a bowl, they look like pebbles covered in frost. The cracked white crust hides a dark, almost brown-black interior that smells of roasted cocoa and toasted hazelnuts. Under your fingers, it yields slightly — firm on the surface, tender in the center. The taste is intense, a bit bitter, with that chewy quality that gently sticks to the palate without ever being cloying.

Why you’ll love this recipe

✓Much less sweet than a classic cookie : Unsweetened cocoa and hazelnuts dominate. This isn’t a sugar bomb — it’s a real toasted hazelnut flavor with a fine bitterness that appeals even to people who don’t like overly sweet desserts.

✓Naturally flourless : No flour, no butter. The structure comes solely from ground hazelnuts and egg whites. Practical if you’re cooking for someone avoiding gluten.

✓They keep for an entire week : In a metal tin at room temperature, they even get better the next day. The center softens slightly and the chewy texture asserts itself.

✓Active prep time is only 25 minutes : And even then, half of that is the time to roast and grind the hazelnuts. The dough itself takes five minutes flat.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients

All ingredients to make amaretti: roasted hazelnuts, cocoa, icing sugar, and egg whites.

Hazelnuts : This is the main ingredient, so don’t go for the cheapest ones. Buy whole hazelnuts to roast yourself — the difference compared to pre-roasted supermarket nuts is huge. In a pan or oven, they develop an aromatic oil that you won’t find anywhere else.
Cocoa powder : Unsweetened is mandatory. Basic Van Houten works just fine. If you have Dutch-processed cocoa (alkalized, darker), the final color will be even more intense. Avoid sweetened powders like Nesquik — the result would be far too sweet and lacking character.
Icing sugar : Double role: in the dough as a binder, and as an outer coating for the signature cracked crust. The icing sugar on the surface absorbs moisture from the egg whites during baking, and that is precisely what creates those characteristic fissures.
Egg whites : They serve as the binder and structure. No need to whip them into peaks — just lightly beaten with a fork to loosen them up. If you have frozen whites lurking in the back of the freezer, this is the perfect time to use them.

First, the hazelnuts

Spread the hazelnuts on a tray and bake at 160°C for 10 to 12 minutes. When they start to smell like caramel and chocolate spread — that specific, slightly fatty, slightly sweet scent — they’re ready. Pour them while still hot into a clean towel and rub vigorously to remove as much brown skin as possible. It will never be perfect, and that’s normal. Let them cool completely before blending. If they are still lukewarm, the heat will release too much oil and you’ll get a paste instead of a powder. Pulse in short bursts until you get a coarse, slightly damp, light-hazelnut colored powder.

Assembling the dough

In a bowl, mix the hazelnut powder, cocoa, and icing sugar. Add the egg whites little by little — really little by little. The dough will first seem too dry, then suddenly it will come together: compact, a bit sticky, dark brown verging on ebony black. Stop as soon as it holds together when you press it in your hand. Too much egg white and the amaretti will flatten during baking instead of remaining balls. Let it rest for ten minutes at room temperature — the hazelnut powder absorbs the whites and the dough becomes much more manageable.

Shaping — quick and easy

Pour icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Take portions of dough the size of a large hazelnut, about 15g, and roll them between your palms. The dough is slightly sticky, your hands will turn brown, it’s inevitable. Roll each ball in the icing sugar until it’s entirely white, then place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them at least 3 cm apart — they puff up a little.

Baking and cracking

Preheated oven at 160°C, fan setting. After 8 minutes, something happens: the surface fissures, the white of the icing sugar cracks and reveals the dark dough underneath — like soil drying in the sun. This is exactly what we want. Continue for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the cracks are well-defined. They will still feel soft when they come out of the oven. This is normal; they will firm up as they cool. Wait at least 15 minutes before touching them, otherwise they will crush.

Tips & Tricks

Don’t bake them looking for them to be firm when they come out — they harden as they cool. If you wait until they are firm in the oven, you’ll end up with inedible pebbles.
For even more intense amaretti, add a small teaspoon of instant coffee to the dough with the cocoa. It reinforces the bitterness without the coffee taste being distinguishable.
If your dough is too sticky to be rolled properly, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. It will be much easier to work with.

Close-up — The sugary cracked crust that yields under the tooth to reveal a melting and intense heart.

FAQs

Can I replace hazelnuts with almonds?

Yes, blanched almonds work very well and give a result closer to classic Italian amaretti. The texture will be slightly different — a bit drier, less fatty — but the principle remains the same. Roast them the same way; almond skin is harder to remove, so it’s fine if some stays on.

Why did my amaretti flatten during baking instead of staying in a ball?

Too much egg white in the dough. The amount of white is truly critical: add them very gradually and stop as soon as the dough holds together when pressed. If the dough is too soft, 20 minutes in the fridge before shaping the balls often solves the problem.

How do I know if they are done, since they still seem soft out of the oven?

Look at the surface: it should be well-cracked with clearly marked fissures, with the dark brown of the dough showing through the white icing sugar. This is the sign that the bake is good. They will firm up completely while cooling — allow at least 15 minutes on the tray before moving them.

How long do amaretti keep and how should I store them?

One week in an airtight metal tin at room temperature — they are even better the next day when the center has softened slightly. Avoid the fridge, which makes them soft and robs them of their cracked crust. They also freeze very well: up to two months in a box, to be thawed at room temperature for one hour.

Is it mandatory to remove the skin from the hazelnuts?

No, not mandatory. The skin adds a slight extra bitterness, which isn’t necessarily bad in a recipe already containing cocoa. Rub what you can remove easily in a towel and leave the rest — it won’t change the texture or the hold of the dough.

Can I prepare the dough in advance?

Yes, the dough keeps for 24 hours in the refrigerator well-wrapped in plastic wrap. It will even be easier to shape once chilled. Form the balls and roll them in icing sugar at the last moment, just before baking.