Amaretti cookies are the pride of Saronno, a city just north of Milan in Lombardy, and there’s no amaretti more beloved than these from Chiostro di Saronno. This humble cookie made from just a few simple ingredients is a mainstay of Italian culture, as are the iconic tins in which they have been sold for over a century. This keepsake tin features a painted scene of the canals of Venice, the perfect gift for the sweets-lover in your life.
As the story goes, amaretti were first baked in Saronno during the Middle Ages by a poor young couple who wanted to honor the visiting cardinal of Milano. They had very little in the cupboard, and came up with a simple combination of sugar, egg whites, and almond-scented apricot kernels to create these sweet morsels.
