These Sicilian biscuits (or small pastries) are gluten-free, dairy-free, delicious and very easy to prepare! It is better to use a piping bag to shape the biscuits, but if you don’t have one, you can roll out the dough with your hands to make small balls and then press them with your fingers, to obtain a cookie-like shape.
The dough needs, at least, 30 minutes of resting time, however they will taste even better if you leave them to rest in the fridge overnight. Traditionally, we garnish these biscuits with candied cherries or almonds, so if you want you can use both. Here I prepared some of these delicious pastries with my mother, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Biscuits with almonds and candied cherries.
1. Grind the almonds with the sugar, using a food processor.
2. Combine the egg whites with the almond mixture and the flavourings, then put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Using a piping bag, shape the biscuits and then garnish with candied cherries.
4. Bake at 180 ° C (356° F) until golden.
Dolcetti alle mandorle con ciliegie candite.
Per 2 teglie rettangolari di media grandezza.
1. Tritate finemente le mandorle con lo zucchero.
2. Mescolate i chiari d’uova con le mandorle tritate, lo zucchero e gli aromi. Mettete il composto a riposare in frigorifero per almeno 30 minuti.
3. Usando il sac à poche, date la forma ai pasticcini (oppure formate delle palline e schiacciatele leggermente con le dita).
4. Guarnite i pasticcini con le ciliegie candite, poi infornate a 180° C fino ad ottenere dei dolcetti dorati.
To continue the series of recipes with pomegranate, this week I am publishing an easy cookie recipe, gluten-free and perfect for dark chocolate lovers! These cookies are garnished with a lot of pomegranate seeds, they are not very sweet and have a strong chocolate flavour ; I served them warm with plenty of honey on top! In this way, all the flavours and different textures really come together nicely!
1. For the kids dip them in milk, because they have a strong dark chocolate flavour.
2. For a low-sugar recipe don’t add the honey on top of the cookies, just follow the recipe.
I hope you enjoy this autumn treat!
Rice flour dark chocolate cookies with pomegranate.
1. Bake the almonds at 160 ° C (320° F) for 5-10 minutes. Let cool then grind with a food processor.
2. Melt the chocolate using a bain-marie.
3. In a bowl, work the butter with the maple syrup, the honey and the ground almonds.
4. Add the melted chocolate to the almond mixture and stir well. In another bowl, combine the rice flour, the cornstarch, the cocoa, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, then mix everything together with the almonds. Knead for a few minutes then put in the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Line the base of two baking trays with some baking paper, then shape the cookies and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
6. Bake at 180 ° C (356°F ) for 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve the cookies hot with a lot of honey on top!
Also see Light Sabayon With Pomegranate And Pistachios and Prawn Salad With Rocket And Pomegranate.
Biscotti di farina riso al cioccolato con melagrana.
1.Tostate le mandorle a 160 °C per 5-10 minuti. Lasciate raffreddare e tritate finemente con il tritatutto.
2. Fate sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria.
3. Lavorate il burro con lo sciroppo d’acero, un cucchiaio di miele e la farina di mandorle.
4. Unite il cioccolato sciolto al composto di burro e farina di mandorle. A parte, mescolate la farina di riso con il cacao, l’amido di mais, la cannella e un pizzico di sale. Unite tutto e impastate bene per qualche minuto, poi mettete nel frigorifero a raffreddare per 30 minuti.
5. Distribuite i biscotti su due teglie rettangolari (ricoperte da carta da forno) e guarnite con dei chicchi di melagrana.
6. Infornate a 180°C per 20-30 minuti.
7. Servite i biscotti caldi con tanto miele sopra.
Biscotti As You Have Never Seen Them Before!
This is a chocolate version of Biscotti, or Cantucci cookies. Usually made with plain flour and almonds, I made these wholemeal cookies adding chocolate, hazelnuts and spelt flour to the traditional recipe. I also tried using less sugar, but they didn’t taste as good. These cookies go well with coffee and tea, and kept a tin box they last for a long time.
Chocolate spelt biscotti with hazelnuts and almonds.
1. Sift the flour with the baking soda and cocoa powder.
2. Add the chocolate, the hazelnuts, the almonds and a pinch of salt to the flour. Stir well.
3. Separately, mix two eggs, with the honey, the orange essential oil and sugar.
4. Combine all the ingredients together and mix well, adding some marsala wine (or milk) if the mixture is too dry.
5. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, roll into the shape of four ropes and then brush the dough with an egg.
6. Bake at 190 ° C (374 °F) for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut the cookies at a 45° angle, then bake for 5-10 minutes more at 190 ° C (374 °F).
7. Let the cookies completely cool and store in a sealed tin box.
Cantucci di farina di farro al cioccolato.
1. Setacciate la farina con il bicarbonato e il cacao.
2. Aggiungete alla farina il cioccolato, le nocciole, le mandorle e un pizzico di sale. Mescolate con cura.
3. A parte, amalgamate due uova con il miele, l’olio essenziale d’arancia e lo zucchero.
4. Unite tutti gli ingredienti, aggiungendo un po’ di marsala (o latte) nel caso il composto fosse troppo asciutto.
5. Formate quattro filoni della stessa misura e spennellate la superficie con un uovo. Infornate a 190° C per 15-20 minuti.
6. Sfornate e tagliate i biscotti in obliquo (per dare la forma dei cantucci), quindi infornate nuovamente per 5-10 minuti (sempre a 190° C).
7. Lasciate raffreddare e conservate in un contenitore di latta ben chiuso.
Special Chocolate Chip Cookies For Grown-Ups!
Perfect served with a cup of coffee or tea, with just a little sugar and an intense dark chocolate flavour, these cookies are definitely for grown-ups! You can prepare this recipe for the kids, but I would recommend using a less bitter chocolate and adding a few extra teaspoons of sugar to dough. High in fiber and nutrients, with chocolate and hazelnuts these biscuits are delicious moments that melt in your mouth!
1. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 170° C (338°F) for 10 minutes. Remove the skin by rubbing with a cloth, let cool and then grind the hazelnuts using a food processor. In a bowl mix the butter with honey and sugar.
2. Aside, sift the flour with corn starch and baking powder. Combine the two mixtures and add the chocolate, the ground hazelnuts, a pinch of salt and yogurt.
3. Work the mixture well until you have a compact dough.
4. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Grease two large baking trays, shape the dough into little balls (4-5 cm ) and place them quite far apart from one another.
5. Squeeze the dough gently with your fingers, in order to shape the cookies.
6. Bake at 170 ° C (338° F) for 12-15 minutes. Place the cookies to cool on a rack.
Cookies di farina di farro con cioccolato e nocciole.
1. Tostate le nocciole in forno a 170° per 10 minuti, poi strofinate le nocciole (ancora calde) con un panno per togliere la pellicina. Lasciate raffreddare e tritate finemente con il tritatutto.
2. In una terrina mescolate il burro con il miele e lo zucchero.
3. A parte, setacciate e mescolate la farina con l’amido di mais e il lievito per dolci. Unite la farina al composto di burro, poi aggiungete anche il cioccolato a pezzetti, le nocciole tritate, lo yogurt e un pizzico di sale.
4. Lavorate bene, poi fate riposare in frigorifero per 1 ora.
5. Formate delle palline uguali con l’impasto (4-5 cm di diametro per pallina) e mettetele su due teglie unte, lasciando un po’ di spazio.
6. Schiacciate leggermente la pasta con le dita per dare la forma ai biscotti.
7. Infornate a 170° per 12-15 minuti, quindi i biscotti a raffreddare su una griglia.
Delicious Baci di Dama cookies.
Baci di Dama are delightful Piedmontese cookies, traditionally prepared with plain flour, hazelnuts, almonds and dark chocolate. These wonderful cookies are among my favorites, as a child I just couldn’t get enough! I’m going to prepare my Baci di Dama with brown sugar and wholemeal flour, using the fresh butter I made in the previous recipe. These ingredients have a rich nutty flavour, which blends perfectly with hazelnuts and honey. You can enjoy these mouth-watering Baci di Dama at any time to make your day a little special.
1. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 160 ° C (325 °F) for about 7 minutes. When the hazelnuts have cooled, gently rub the skins off with a cloth.
2. Grind the hazelnuts with a food processor. Then, mix the hazelnuts with the flour, sugar, honey and butter.
3. Work the mixture until you get a soft and smooth dough. Place the dough in a sealed container and let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Take the dough out of the fridge and shape into small balls (approximately 2-3 cm). Place the balls on a greased baking tray and press them slightly with your fingers in order to obtain an half sphere shape.
5. Bake in the oven at 150 ° (300 ° F) for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When the cookies are ready and have slightly cooled, sandwich them together by putting some chocolate on the flat side. Serve the Baci di Dama with a nice cup of tea and enjoy!
Baci di Dama con farina integrale.
1. Fate tostare le nocciole in forno a 160° per 7 minuti. Strofinate con un canovaccio le nocciole per togliere la buccia.
2. Tritate finemente con il tritatutto. Unite le nocciole alla farina, allo zucchero, al miele e al burro, mescolando bene fino ad ottenere un impasto morbido e omogeneo.
3. Mettete l’impasto in un contenitore e riponetelo nel frigorifero a rassodare per circa 30 minuti.
4. Togliete l’impasto dal frigo e formate delle palline di approssimativamente 2-3 cm di diametro. Mettete le palline su una teglia imburrata e pressatele leggermente con le dita per creare delle mezze sfere.
5. Infornate a 150° per 10-15 minuti. Fate fondere il cioccolato a bagnomaria, poi prendete i biscotti (dopo averli fatti raffreddare) e uniteli a due a due, spalmando un po’ di cioccolato sulla parte piatta. Servite con una buona tazza di tè.