ALMOND COOKIES, THE TUSCAN CANTUCCI

These almond cookies are the quintessence of Tuscan food. They are extremely simple, and the goodness of this recipe relies on the choice of quality ingredients.

I always make them on a wooden board because I love the sensation of working with dough, even if it is easier to use a food processor.

It likely began as a bread-like dough, a natural sourdough that was at the foundation of all European cakes, enriched with eggs and honey or very expensive cane sugar and almonds, which were introduced to Italy by the Arabs, whose presence or contact was constant for centuries.

This is a common recipe in Western culture, with some differences due to regional variations, but these cookies are very popular, known as biscotti in North America, probably imported by Italian immigrants. The recipe is very similar all over Italy: in Sicily they are simply called almond biscotti,  pepatelli in a more rustic version in the Southern region of Molise, but here the recipe is even closer to what must have been popular during the Middle Ages thanks to the presence of black pepper, orange zest, honey, and no baking powder.

I particularly love the Tuscan version because it offers a lactose-free dessert for my guests, and they are very low-fat, perfect if you need sugar to burn immediately

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Yield: Makes 90 pieces.

Ingredients

  • 500 g (3⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 400 g (2 cups) white sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) Vin Santo
  • 15 g (1½ tbsp) baking powder
  • 300 g (2 cups) unpeeled whole almonds

 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F)

Knead all the ingredients together and shape into 4 rolls about 30 cm (12 inches) long, and 5 cm (2 inches) wide. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 30 minutes. When cool, slice the logs diagonally. Spread the slices out and bake for 10 minutes



FIG COOKIES

This fig cookie recipe brings out the magic flavour of an incredible, sugary fruit. Figs are at their best at the second part of August and the beginning of September, and if you have the possibility to buy them or better yet get them ripened on the tree, you are a very lucky person. The filling could be replaced by fig jam, but it would not have the same incredible taste enhanced by lemon zest and almond flour, which create an unmistakable taste.

Since the flour reacts differently depending on the country of origin and the percentage of gluten, it is difficult to be precise. Moreover, the size of the egg can also contribute to a great variation. Add one or two tablespoons of milk to the pastry if the dough is too dry.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Yield: Makes 4  servings.

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry

  • 1 cup (140 g) multi-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (40 g) corn starch
  • 1½ tbsp (10 g) almond flour
  • 1 tsp (3 g) baking powder
  • ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar
  • 2 tbsp (60 g) butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) milk

Ingredients for the filling

  • 9 oz (250 g) fresh figs, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) white sugar
  • ½ lemon zest, grated
  • 3 tbsp (20 g)  almond flour

Instructions for the shortcrust pastry

In a mixer, mix all the dry ingredients with the butter until it crumbles. Place in a bowl or on a marble surface and knead with the egg and milk. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Instructions for the filling

In a pot, cook the sugar, figs and lemon zest together for 10 minutes. When it cools, add the almond flour and mix again.

Roll the shortbread pastry between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut the pastry edges into a rectangle, then cut again into two rectangles. Place the filling in the centre of each rectangle lengthwise and seal it, overlapping the two edges.  Move the two rolls to the fridge and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) Bake the cookies for 25 minutes and cut them only when they reach room temperature.