Recipe
Amaretti sardi
Almond biscuits with a soft heart and a crackled surface, made with both sweet and bitter almonds and scented with lemon zest. A must at weddings and family celebrations.
Ingredients
Serves: 24
- Blanched sweet almonds 400 g
- Blanched bitter almonds 50 g
- Caster sugar 400 g
- Egg whites 3
- Grated lemon zest 1
- Icing sugar q.b.
Method
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Finely grind sweet and bitter almonds together with half the sugar: the sugar prevents the almonds from releasing oil. Pulse in short bursts.
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Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold in the remaining sugar and lemon zest.
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Fold the ground almonds into the meringue with a spatula, gentle movements from the bottom up. The mix should be soft but shapeable.
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With lightly dampened hands shape 25 g balls, roll them generously in icing sugar (it must cling) and place on a lined baking tray, 4 cm apart.
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Bake at 170°C static for 16-18 minutes: they should lightly colour and keep the classic cracked surface.
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Cool completely before peeling from the paper: they break when warm.