These irresistible gluten-free, vegan chocolate amaretti cookies are incredibly easy to make. Crunchy on the outside, soft and crumbly on the inside, they are the perfect homemade cookies for Christmas!
Vegan Amaretti Cookies: Made With Chocolate And Delicious!
The other day I was thinking about what homemade Christmas gifts I could make this year, and a batch of delicious homemade cookies came to mind!
There is nothing more irresistible than the smell of a warm batch of cookies coming out of the oven on these cold days!
As I have been experimenting with vegan baking lately, I wanted to make a cookie that was:
- Super easy to make
- It looked amazing to add to any Christmas cookie box
- Delicious to eat
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And I remembered my old chewy amaretti recipe!
Every time I brought these amaretti over to a friend’s house for dinner, they would ask me for the recipe.
But I had a couple of challenges:
- This recipe typically uses 2 egg whites.
- I wanted to make it a bit more special for Christmas!
I decided to use flax eggs as a substitute for egg whites to make it vegan!
What is a flax egg?
A flax egg is a vegan egg substitute that is made up of ground flax seeds and water. It’s 100% natural, vegan, and gluten-free.
Flax seeds are very nutritious seeds with some exceptional properties:
- They are very high in fiber
- They aid with digestion
- Rich in omega-3
How Do I make a Flax Egg?
To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with three tablespoons of water. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes to thicken. It’s that simple!
The mixture will thicken and get jelly-like (like an egg) – and you have your flax egg!
This egg substitute is excellent to bind ingredients, but it will not help as a rising agent as eggs do.
So make sure your recipe uses another rising agent, like baking powder.
And what about some chocolate?
And to make these more memorable for Christmas, there is nothing better than transforming them into chocolate amaretti! A bit of chocolate makes everything unique.
Plus, a touch of powder sugar coating just makes these cookies look like they are covered in snow!
Perfect for the festive season!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Almond flour: This is the base of the amaretti. Make sure to use fine flour (see notes below for extra info).
- Coconut sugar: I updated this recipe and made a batch with coconut sugar, and they came out delicious. But I’ve been successful with raw cane sugar too. And if you only happen to have cater sugar, yes, that’s good as well!
- Cocoa powder: For that extra chocolaty flavor.
- Ground flax seeds: To make out flax eggs!
- Icing sugar: Also known as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar. You’ll just need a tiny bit!
- Baking powder: To give a bit of rising power to the cookies.
A couple of extra notes
Both almond flour and almond meal are made from ground almonds, though they have two subtle differences that set them apart.
– Almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds, which have had the skins removed, while almond meal still has the skins.
– Almond flour is ground more finely than almond meal, which typically has a more coarse grind.
For this recipe, I used almond flour. You can also get great results using almond meal (made from whole ground almonds), although the amaretti texture might be a bit rougher.
Do not attempt this recipe with any other type of flour, or it won’t work!
I used coconut sugar for this recipe as it has a caramel-like flavor that works incredibly well with the chocolate, and it’s slightly healthier than refined white sugar. You can also use raw cane sugar. But in the past, I used caster sugar, and that works well too!
Why I love these vegan chocolate amaretti cookies
- They are soft, fudgy, and delicious
- So easy to make!
- Made with wholesome, natural ingredients
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free
Other Christmas cookie ideas you’ll love
- Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Hazelnut Gingerbread Man Sandwich Cookies
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Bounty Balls
And for more vegan Christmas recipes, check out my irresistible Christmas recipe collection , or check out these 21 Healthy Christmas Cookies!
If you make this vegan amaretti cookies recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it!
Vegan Chocolate Amaretti
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour - (note 1)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar - (note 3)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar - for coating
2 flax eggs
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds - (note 5 and 6)
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320F (160C) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Make the flax eggs: add the ground flax seeds and water to a small bowl and stir. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to thicken (see notes 5 and 6).
- In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: ground almond flour, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa powder, then add the flax eggs.
- Stir together until combined. It might look like you need to add more water but keep mixing, and if necessary, use your hands. The mixture needs to become like a thick paste that you can roll into sticky balls in your hands.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop out a bit of a mixture and roll into a ball. Toss each ball into the icing sugar, coating entirely.
- Place each ball onto the baking tray and gently press it with the palm of your hand to squash it down slightly. Repeat with the remaining dough (you should be able to make 15 cookies).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (note 4) and let them cool down before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
KatL says
Made these tonight with a stevia sugar substitute and they are incredible. Thank you for the recipe!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
So happy you liked them, Kat 🙂
Ines Asher says
I made them and i looooove them.
I used dried dates “sugar” instead icing sugar.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Using dried date sugar is such a good idea! 🙂
Thanks, Ines!
Tamy says
Hi. I would like to try this recipe, and was wandering if you tried something else instead of flax seed? Like applesauce or banana? Does it work? Thank you.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Tamy,
Both will work well, but banana will give them a strong flavor. Applesauce will be more subtle and complement the amaretti flavor better.
Dina says
Would it work to add peppermint extract to these to make them chocolate-peppermint? Would be a fun Christmas flavor but would they bake differently?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Dina,
I think it’ll work very well if you like the chocolate-peppermint combination. I don’t think it’ll cause any issue as you’ll need a tiny amount of extracr.
Laurens Meijer says
The cookies are great!
I made a second batch right after the first, but ran out of almond flour, but replaced it with earth almond (also called ‘yellow nutsedge’ or ‘tiger nut’) flour, wich worked great and actually improved the cookies I’d say.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Oh good to know, Laurens! I must try that then 🙂
Nicole says
So good!!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks so much, Nicole 😁
Kat says
Just made them for Christmas, they are so pretty and insanely delicious. Thank you, this goes to my favourites and will make them again!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you, Kat! So happy you liked them 🙂
Madhura Deshpande says
Hi there, I made these and they were just delicious! Such a simple recipe but such a stunning outcome! Thank you very much for posting and sharing.
I’m curious: have you ever tried making a snickerdoodle version of these? I’d like to try but would love any tips/best practices if you have already made some.
Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!
Best.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I am so glad you liked these, Madhura. They are my favorite too!
I have not tried to make a snickerdoodle version yet, but it’s such a nice idea!
I hope you had a great Christmas 🙂
Cheryl says
Made this with regular flour, and almond essence. Came out flat, chewy and tasted raw. Not sure what went wrong. Had to throw it away.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Cheryl,
Only almond flour or almond meal will work for this recipe as I mention in both the post and recipe!
Any other flour will make them either dry and hard or chewy and uncooked. You should try them and follow the recipe! they are incredibly delicious!
Rachel Occomore says
Hello
Is there any way of freezing these cookies?
Many thanks
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Rachel,
Yes, you can freeze them. Just make sure you freeze them in a single layer (on a tray for example). Once they’re frozen, you can transfer them to a bag or an airtight container. Defrost them overnight, ideally covered up or they will dry out too much.
Lucy says
Would you dust them and freeze them? Or thaw them and dust them then?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I would dust them first!
Emma C says
I was looking for something to make for Christmas goodie bags and came across these! Tried out a batch and not only are these quick and easy to make, they are a perfect fluffy texture and totally addicting. They’re tasty and not too sweet, I may add a little almond extract or amaretto in the future for special treat, I’m definitely planning on making more of these this holiday season!
Do you know if they would still turn out perfectly moist and fluffy if I multiplied the recipe to make a larger batch? Not sure how the flax seed/baking power reaction would factor into that.
Thanks for sharing your delicious gf/v recipe! 🙂
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Emma,
So glad you like these cookies! I love them too 🙂
There should be no problem to multiply the recipe. They don’t raise much and most of the fluffiness is down to the almond meal. I made a double batch in the past and they turned out perfect!
Let me know how it goes!
James Percival Treloar says
We really enjoy these cookies. We omit the icing sugar and they’re perfectly sweet enough. I really love the texture, slight crunch and chewiness inside. The only problem with them is that they get eaten too quickly.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks so much James!
They are some of my favorite cookies too! I agree they are sweet enough without icing sugar, but the icing sugar makes them very pretty 🙂
And yes, I don’t make them too often because they don’t last long in this house lol!
Debra Myers says
Delicious cookies, like “chocolate crinkles” – the texture was wonderful. I used almond flour (not meal) and Valrhona powdered chocolate. I baked a batch according to instructions 300F for 10 minutes but the cookie was still grainy from the sugar not melting. It went back in for 5 additional minutes and turned out perfect, soft in the middle. I may add a tsp of vanilla or a combo of vanilla & almond extract next time.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you Debra for the comments. I am so glad you loved the cookies. I used caster sugar for the recipe which melts faster in the oven and that probably made a difference. I updated the recipe to mention that! Thanks for pointing that out 🙂
Glad it turned out delicious anyway! Have a wonderful holiday!
Nicole Moss Underwood says
Fantastic! The best vegan cookie recipe I’ve tried so far. Delicious tasting, tender, just the right amount of sweetness. Really happy with these!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
I am so glad you liked them, Nicole! 🙂 It makes me so happy!
Paige Smith says
One problem I had with this recipe. You call for almond meal, but they in the instructions state almond flour. From my understanding they are different ingredients, and maybe are the reason my cookies are so flat and not plump like in the picture?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Page,
Almond meal and almond flour are almost identical. Almond meal is made from whole almonds, skin included. Whereas almond flour is made from blanched almonds (almonds with the skin removed). For this recipe you can use both and it shouldn’t make any difference.
The ones in the pictures are made with almond flour but I used both successfully. If they were flatter than the pictures they were probably a bit too wet. Different types of flour can absorb water more or less. Try adding a bit more flour next time if you use the same brand!
Kay says
Hi I was just wondering if when the cookies cool down does the icing sugar casting still dry on the biscuits or do you vita them when still little warm, how long before Xmas could you make and store please
Thanks in advance
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hi Kay, yes the icing sugar will dry on the cookies. You can make these cookies up to one week before Christmas but you need to keep them in an airtight container or they will dry out.
Lorraine says
I made this recipe today but did not use the icing sugar coating.
It was easy and delicious and will make it again. Thank you so much for this recipe it will become a favorite I am sure.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Glad you liked it, Lorraine! It’s one of my favorite recipes too…and now that you’ve reminded me…I haven’t made it in a while! (Off she goes to buy the ingredients…! lol)
Jen says
These are delicious. i just made a batch to take to church tomorrow to offer a gluten free, egg free, dairy free cookie. A word of caution however. Your blog opens with reference to giving cookies as a gift. For non-vegan readers looking to make a vegan treat for a gift, they will need to purchase vegan sugars. Traditionally, sugar is processed with bone ash and thus is not vegan.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you, Jen!
And thanks for pointing out the comment about sugar! I didn’t know bone char can be used to bleach cane sugar! Thanks for making look into it! Now I know to look for brands that use alternative methods to do that!
Heather says
Can you make these with something OTHEr than almonds? I am allergic!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hi Heather,
You can try to use coconut flour, if you like the flavor!
A.R says
I tried making this recipe and was wondering why mine wasnt matching the description of yours. But then I read the notes and realized I only needed the whites of the eggs.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
You should try it again A.R.! It’s really delicious!
Christina says
I tried coconut flour and it doesn’t work! It just stays dry. FYI.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Yes, coconut flour isn’t as moist as almond flour. Thanks for letting us know 🙂
laurel says
you might try oat flour it should keep the cookies just as moist and also has the nice texture almond flour does.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
That’s a great idea, Laurel 🙂