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Not long after cracking my original Amaretti recipe, I knew I had to make these Vegan Chocolate Cherry Amaretti. Chocolate and cherry go so well together and who can resist a cheeky splash of brandy too. There is an alcohol free version for those who’d rather it.
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How to make egg free Amaretti?
So, how do you make Traditional flavour Amaretti but without the EGG?
The good news is you can make Amaretti egg free by using aquafaba and trust in the process.
I’ve added the images below to demonstrate the process and dispel any concerns about the way the mixture looks after you’ve folded the chocolate and ground almonds into the whipped aquafaba.
The mixture will appear to half in volume but this is fine, it will still rise beautifully in the oven. I’ve added the last photo (from my original Vegan Amaretti Biscuits recipe) to illustrate how I roll each Amaretti. I simply use the two spoon method to drop dessert spoon sized dollops into a bowl of icing sugar, then begin to roll gently into a ball.
In the case of these Chocolate Cherry Amaretti, all you need to do is push a liqueur cherry into the centre of the dollop of mixture, pinch the edges to seal and then roll into a ball.
What is Aquafaba?
So what is aquafaba? Simply speaking it’s the left over liquid in a tin of chickpeas. Basically, when chickpeas are canned in production, they are submerged in water. The time the chickpeas spend in the water turns the liquid into a rich starchy biproduct called aquafaba. This chickpea water can then be used to whip up into a froth.
By whipping the aquafaba you trap air bubbles in the slightly slimy liquid and this can imitate egg whites.
There is an issue with retaining this structure however, so this is why you must add a stabiliser such as cream of tartar. This will increase the whipped aquafaba volume and improve its stability making it something you can work with in baking and cold desserts such as vegan mousses.
If you can get your hands on some, then Oggs is a great alternative to the chickpea can method, it is more expensive though.
How to whip Aquafaba?
My best advice starts with the same advice for normal egg whites. Make sure you have a clean bowl, ideally metallic like a Kenwood Mixer ,I always wipe my bowl down with a bit of kitchen roll dipped in lemon juice.
Next you whip the aquafaba on a high speed with a little cream of tartar (this can be done by hand but my goodness you’ve picked the difficult path!).
Aquafaba is an off white transparent liquid. The whipped aquafaba is also an off white creamy colour. You want this creamy colour to go as pale as you possible can. The whiter is goes, the better the results. I cannot stress enough, this takes ages.
What is the best chocolate to use in these Amaretti?
As this is a vegan recipe you need to use a good quality dairy free chocolate. I have used plain dark chocolate drops from the supermarkets before but these often have a may contain for MILK so be careful if making these for someone with a milk allergy or intolerance.
I’ve come across a small business that do amazing dairy free and vegan chocolate and you can buy in bulk to make it cheaper. I was going to add an affiliate Amazon link here but the price on Amazon is bonkers so here’s the direct link to save you some pennies 1kg Dairy Free Vegan Chocolate Chips. I love D&D Chocolates and can recommend their orange chocolate – it tastes just like Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
You only need 50g to make this recipe (if making 1x version for 16 Amaretti) and you need a good quality chocolate that won’t burn in the microwave. Another reason I like D&D Chocolate.
How to make liqueur cherries?
Making liqueur cherries is super simple. All you need is a tub of glace cherries and some brandy. I use the dark glace cherries (morello cherries) and not the neon red ones for a more authentic look. A great tip is to make these cherries using the whole tub. You won’t need them all for this recipe but the cherries will keep in the brandy and you’ll find the next time you need liqueur cherries for a recipe they will be even better having marinaded for longer.
I simply add 2 tbsp of brandy to the tub, replace the lid and give them a good shake. This way, you get the sticky cherry syrup and brandy to combine and create a delicious sweet liqueur syrup.
Another option is to buy cherries already soaked in liqueur or a delicious syrup. I’ve added some images below to give you some ideas as well as the glace cherries I used.
Other suggestions for this Chocolate Cherry Amaretti
Not keen on the idea of liqueur cherries or making these to be alcohol free and child friendly? Simple, just don’t add the brandy and pop a whole cherry in the middle of the Amaretti before rolling.
Alternatively, you could cut the cherries into quarters (boozy kind or normal) and fold these into the Amaretti mixture so you have more cherry with each bite.
Another idea to make these Chocolate Cherry Amaretti is to add a few chocolate chips to the mixture too so you have a bit of cherry and chocolate in each bite.
Love this recipe? Try these too
Vegan Chocolate Cherry Amaretti Recipe
If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.
Vegan Chocolate Cherry Amaretti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 ml aquafaba
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 250 g ground almonds
- 50 g caster sugar
- 50 g dark chocolate make sure its dairy free and vegan
- 100 g glace cherries you'll need 16 if making 16 amaretti biscuits.
- 2 tbsp brandy or cherry brandy [see notes for alternatives]
- 100 g icing/confectioners sugar to roll the amaretti
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C | 150°C fan | 325°F | Gas mark 3
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- TOP TIP: to achieve the best whipped aquafaba, clean your bowl with lemon juice or white vinegar, simply add a few drops and give the bowl a wipe around with a clean paper towel.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk up the aquafaba and cream of tartar. This can take 5-10 minutes to get the right consistency, you need your aquafaba to turn from a yellow tinge to white.
- Add the caster sugar one spoon at a time whilst still whisking until the meringue base is lovely and glossy.
- Now melt your dark chocolate, I simply add mine to a bowl and pop them in the microwave for 10 second blasts until I'm happy they've melted.
- Next add the ground almonds and melted dark chocolate and fold until fully combined. You'll end up with a sticky mess. Don't worry if it looks like all the air has been knocked out, this is normal.
- Scoop dessert spoons of the mixture and drop them into a bowl of icing sugar. Now push a liqueur cherry into the middle of the dollop of mixture and tease the edges together to hide it. Once covered, your amaretti dough will be easier to handle and roll into a ball.
- This is enough mixture to make 16 medium/large balls the size of small apricots. Place 8 on each tray, they don't spread much, and place in the oven for 20 mins.
- Remove from oven once beautifully puffed up with familiar cracks. Place on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before removing, they are still fragile when warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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