Chiostro di Saronno

Chiostro di Saronno classic crunchy Amaretti

Amaretti Mini Crocant with sugar in a small tray

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 sweets in his honour. Given little time to prepare since the 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 which had a slightly bitter taste, which they called “Amaretti” (little bitter ones in Italian) and wrapped them in elegant, coloured 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, the same authentic amaretti biscuits are still produced today by descendants of the original family. The Lazzaroni family still live in the same house in the centre of Saronno, in what was once a monastery. In Italian, this is called a chiostro and is the brand name of the company. Within the cloisters is an archive museum which holds artefacts of the family’s history.

The distinctive flavour and texture of the biscuits comes from the wonderfully simple ingredients:

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

The real secret to making them unique in the world lies in the selection and care taken over these ingredients:

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

The range has now been extended to include 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