Chiostro di Saronno

Chiostro di Saronno Crispy Amaretti

Classic Crunchy Amaretti, individually wrapped and elegantly paper-wrapped, in a red cardboard box. Enjoy a tasty tradition after breakfast and after lunch. Savor Chiostro di Saronno Amaretti and accompany with sweet wine or crumble over a fruit salad or ice cream.

Legend has it that the Cardinal of Milan paid a surprise visit to the town of Saronno, near Milan, Italy, and two young lovers prepared a sweet treat in his honor. With little time to prepare since notification of his visit, they had few ingredients to work with - just sugar, egg whites and apricot kernels. So they baked them into small, round shapes that had a slightly bitter taste, which they called “Amaretti” (little bitter ones in Italian) and wrapped them in elegant, colored paper. The legend also says that if you make a wish, roll up the paper and light it, your wish will come true if it rises to the ceiling (at your own risk!)

Almost 300 years later, these same authentic amaretti cookies are still being produced today by descendants of the original family. The Lazzaroni family still lives in the same house in the center of Saronno, in what was once a monastery. In Italian, this is called a chiostro and is the namesake of the company. Within the monastery walls is an archive museum that holds artifacts of the family’s history.

The distinctive flavor and texture of the cookies come from very simple ingredients:

• sugar
• “armeline” obtained from apricot kernels
• egg whites

The real secret to making them uniquely theirs lies in the selection and care of these ingredients:

• no flour, raising agents or flavorings are ever added to the dough
• the dough is left to rest and then baked slowly to give the distinctive flavor and texture
• the wrapping paper and production methods are exclusive to the family

The range has now been extended to include the traditional crunchy and unique soft varieties, packaged in red and green cardboard boxes, as well as luxury tins.

Store in a cool, dry place/at room temperature