I often state that I am part Irish and part Italian, but that I have Irish taste buds. What I mean by that is that I prefer meat and potatoes to pasta. And this is true. But dessert is a different story. When it comes to sweets, I am full-on Italian. I love Italian desserts and sweets!
One of the things I remember most about Christmases from my childhood is visiting our extended Italian family in Scranton, PA. The majority of our time there was spent at our grandparent’s house, but we also spent some time visiting with the siblings of our grandparents and their families. Aunt Tish, one of my grandmother’s sisters, always had an amazing and wonderfully huge assortment of cookies that she made and always brought out when we visited. I could never pick a favorite from her collection because they were all so delectable and I loved every one of them!
I don’t know that Aunt Tish made this version of an amaretti cookie, but the use of dried figs in these cookies brought back fond childhood memories of those Christmases with my big and incredibly loving Italian family!
Italian Orange & Fig Amaretti Cookies
Italian Orange & Fig Amaretti Cookies (adapted from tasteofhome.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Prep time: 20 minutes, Bake Time: 25 minutes, Makes: about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces (2 packages) almond paste
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 cup dried figs, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the almond paste, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form.
Process the almond paste with the sugars.
Add the preserves and the egg whites to the processor (one egg at a time), pulsing after each addition to combine.
Add the preserves and the egg whites to the processor.
Add the figs and orange peel to the dough and pulse in short bursts, just to combine the additions into the dough. The dough will be very sticky.
Add the figs and orange zest to the processor and pulse, just to combine.
Place the remaining sugars in separate, shallow bowls. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough into the granulated sugar. Gently coat and shape the dough into 1-1/4-inch balls. Roll the coated ball in the confectioners’ sugar. Place each double sugared ball on Silpat mat or parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
Roll the dough in both sugars and place on a lined cookie sheet to bake.
Bake the cookies for 24-28 minutes or until the tops are cracked and the bottoms are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Cool on a wire rack when cookies are lightly browned.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
If there are any left after serving, store in an airtight container.
I always have room for an Italian dessert or sweet! ~Linda
Italian Orange & Fig Amaretti Cookies (adapted from tasteofhome.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Prep time: 20 minutes, Bake Time: 25 minutes, Makes: about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces (2 packages) almond paste
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 cup dried figs, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the almond paste, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the preserves and the egg whites (one egg at a time), pulsing after each addition to combine. Add the figs and orange peel to the dough and pulse in short bursts, just to combine the additions into the dough. The dough will be very sticky.
Place the remaining sugars in separate, shallow bowls. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough into the granulated sugar. Gently coat and shape the dough into 1-1/4-inch balls. Roll the coated ball in the confectioners’ sugar. Place each double sugared ball on Silpat mat or parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 24-28 minutes or until the tops are cracked and the bottoms are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.