Because of the crisp texture of the amaretti biscuit along with the strong association to coffee the word biscuits tend to be a better descriptor then the word cookie, as some call it. They are crisp on the outside and very lightly chewy in the center. It’s the rich almond flavor that stands out to me making them the perfect accompaniment to coffee in it’s many fantastically addictive forms. Amaretti biscuits are one of my lost loves. There was this cafe in Vancouver, BC that sold them 4 for $1, and where my love affair began with amaretti. It is such a rich warm comforting flavor that helps you just wash all other thoughts away as the crispy exterior slowly erodes into the soft chewy meringue center. The rich almond flavor then washed away with the bitter notes in a warm cappuccino it was perfection after a long car ride, or night out.
Not only are they delicious with coffee but they make great additions to any dessert. The texture of the crunchy exterior and rich almond flavor that gives them a versatility that makes their possibilites in the kitchen limitless. They can be used in many desserts from cakes, pies, trifles, cupcakes. Crumble up some of the cookies and create a textural delight of a layered dessert with some fresh berries and cream. A great addition to trifle or a pudding style of dessert to add extra texture and a wonderful look, or just crumble a few cookies over the layer of custard based pie and they will add amazing flavor and texture. Another thing to note my friends, are these are gluten free. If you are a biscotti with coffee type of person these are a fantastic replacement.
. Prior to this, I had been using crappy Teflon-coated pans like the majority of people in America. We hated using non-stick pans because Teflon is toxic and we don’t need to be eating that in everything we cook. Our big problem we encountered though, was that we did not know how to cook with stainless steel pans!