Easy Sugar Free Italian Amaretti Biscuits. 1.5g net carbs.
Love Italian Amaretti? You will love this yummy keto version that is indistinguishable from the sugar-loaded original!
Never heard of Italian Amaretti? OMG! You don’t know what you’re missing!!! Forget that the word Amaretti means ‘little bitter ones’ in Italian. Nothing bitter about these beauties, I promise!
On a recent trip to Sicily I had the pleasure (and guilt) of tasting a traditional Amaretto made with Sicilian Almonds. I almost passed out with the taste bud explosion in my mouth. I made so many delight noises as I chewed it, that munch monster thought I was auditioning for that scene from ” When Harry Met Sally”. You know the one!
That’s when I decided that, on my return, I would figure out how to make easy sugar free & low carb Italian amaretti biscuits. The keto way.
Spare egg white, anyone?
Don’t discard it! Make easy sugar free Italian amaretti biscuits. Immediately! Why waste a perfectly good egg white! In fact, there are so many options when it comes to egg whites, I’m ashamed to say that I used to throw them away.
Almonds: the star ingredient
Keto and almonds. A match made in heaven. Why didn’t I think of this before? The classic recipe is so close to being keto in its original form, I should have realised ages ago that a keto version would be super easy. And it was. I only had to bake a few batches (oh what a shame… I got to eat them all in the name of ‘testing’ – lol). A little tweak here and there, then eureka! My sugar free Italian amaretti biscuits were perfected.
Now I just need to restrain myself. I could easily bake these on rotation to have a constant supply, but I don’t want to eat so many of them that I end up going off these delicious morsels. Best if they remain a ‘treat’. Much more enjoyable.
How to make Easy Sugar Free Italian Amaretti Biscuits
First of all you need one bowl. Yep. Just one bowl. This recipe is so great that it’s even washing-up friendly.
Then you need an egg white, almonds, amaretto liqueur, almond extract and sweetener. Actually, you don’t ‘need’ amaretto liqueur, but it does impart a stronger flavour to the biscuits, so I recommend it. I know it’s not low carb, but a little goes a long way, so no keto harm done.
Which sweetener is best?
I use a combination of erythritol and stevia. Why? Because I find that combining the two yields the best results. Stevia, when pure and not ‘cut’ with other sweeteners, is extremely sweet but can add bitterness to certain foods if you use a lot of it. Because it has zero glycemic effect and doesn’t cause bloating unless consumed in very large quantities, erythritol is the best polyol. However, it can add a sensation of ‘coolness’ to the final product. So, by using erythritol and stevia in a combined way, I manage to maximise the positives and minimise the negatives. Trust me. It works. But of course you’re free to use whatever sweetener you prefer.
Hard or soft amaretti?
The choice is entirely yours. I much prefer the soft type. And actually, classic, artisan Amaretti are always soft. The hard, crunchier variety only became an option because manufacturers had to find a way to sell them in packets with long expiry date along with other biscuits. If you prefer the crunchy variety, all you have to do is extend your baking time by 5 minutes. That’s all.
Enjoy!
Easy Sugar Free Italian Amaretti Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 egg white - small
- 55 g ground almonds (U.S. option HERE)
- 10 ml Amaretto liqueur - optional but recommended
- ¼ tsp almond extract (U.S. option HERE)
- 25 g erythritol (U.S. option HERE)
- 1.5 tsp pure stevia powder (U.S. option HERE)
Instructions
- pre-heat oven to 160ºC fan (170ºC static).
- whisk egg white until snowy-stiff.1 egg white
- add all other ingredients and stir to incorporate everything well.55 g ground almonds, ¼ tsp almond extract, 25 g erythritol, 1.5 tsp pure stevia powder, 10 ml Amaretto liqueur
- wearing food-safe disposable gloves, take a bit of mixture into the palm of your hand and shape it into rough balls using the other palm in a light, circular motion. The mixture should be sticky but not so much that you can't form the balls. If that is the case, just add more ground almonds.
- place balls on a sheet of parchment paper over a baking tray and flatten them a little.
- bake for 10 mins for soft amaretti, or 15 mins for hard ones.
Notes
Nutrition
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E
Just wondering if I can use vanilla extract instead of almond
Hi Eve, yes of course. Although amaretti are meant to have an intense almond flavour, if you prefer vanilla, why not?
I was looking for a sugar free authentic Italian almond biscotti recipe when I found this one. I have memories of eating tins of Amaretti from Italy with my Soulmate four decades ago. I have a question about altering this recipe. I find all alternative sweeteners like stevia bitter or nasty tasting in some way. Would the recipe work without the stevia and Xylitol? I really don’t need the sweetness as long as I have the biscuit texture and the flavor of the other natural ingredients. Thank you!
Hi Freyda, you can indeed omit sweeteners altogether.
However, erythritol provides bulk and absorbency, so you may need to add more ground almonds to obtain a workable ‘dough’. You’ll be able to judge it by the consistency, which should be sticky but still allow you to create shapes.
These are amazing! You deserve the Keto Nobel Prize for your work. Did you dust these with powdered sugar?
Oh wow Brad! Keto Nobel Prize? Thank you so much! And yes, it’s a dusting of icing sugar (optional). 🙂
I’m in heaven just at the thought of one of these with my BPC in a morning!!!! I LOVE Amaretto liquer (a bottle never used to last very long around me lol) so now I can indulge a little. Thank you 🙂
Hahaha! Thanks Lorna…but I bet you won’t be able to stop at just one 🙂
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