Cantucci alle mandorle (Amandel Cantucci)

The content and pictures of this post are copyright registered & protected ©myitaliancuisine

Cantucci or cantuccini are italian biscuits originally from Prato, near Florence. Loved by Italy’s famed cookbook writer Pellegrino Artusi and by a visiting Hermann Hesse, cantuccini are usually enjoyed as after dinner, dipped into a glass of Vinsanto, but why not also for breakfast or tea time?
Making cantucci is not difficult but it takes some time as they are cooked twice. Here is my recipie to make very crunchy but not hard-to-eat cantucci. Enjoy it!!
Ingredients:
500gr flour
100gr butter
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
250gr unpeeled amandels
4gr baking powder
250gr granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
1 egg yolk and 1 tbs of milk for the glaze
Instructions:
1) Prepare the amandels: Pre heat your oven on 180C° (350F°) when ready, place the amandel in a large oven tray and roast for 4-5 minutes. When roasted, place the amandel apart to cool.
2) Prepare the cantucci mixture: place the eggs and the egg yolk in a bowl, add the sugar and mix till mixture gets almost white and creamy. Add the melted butter (attention: butter must be soft but not warm or liquid!) add the flour and baking powder mixture, mix well, add the amandels. pour the mixture on a floured workingtop, make a ball out of the soft dough. Cut the dough in 4 pieces.

Shape each piece of dough into a long log. Transfer the logs to a prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of each log with the egg yolk-milk mixture. Bake the logs in the center of the oven for 25 minutes on 190C°, or until they are lightly browned and slightly firm. Let the logs cool for 10 to 15 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cutting board.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. While the logs are still warm, cut them into 1/3-inch slices with a sharp knife. Arrange the Cantucci on the sheets, cut sides down, and bake, turning once, until golden, about 15 minutes on 170C°.

Your Cantucci are ready! Once fully cooled Cantucci can be stred in a large glass jar for up to one week. Serve with a glass of Vinsanto... Buon appetito!

Comments

Neapolitan "Sfogliatella Frolla" (sfogliatella frolla napoletana)

The content and pictures of this post are copyright registered & protected ©myitaliancuisine I miss Italy tremendously... so today I will propose you something very traditional from Naple: the Sfogliatella! Neapolitan most famous pastry:"Sfogliatella"comes in two styles: "riccia", with a crust of many crisp, papery layers, and "frolla", with a thicker pastry crust. The riccia's tender exterior (made with flour, water, and lard) consists of concentric squashed rings. The frolla shell (made with flour, sugar, and butter or lard) is like the best sweet piecrust. Both hold fillings of sweetened ricotta and cooked semolina flavored with vanilla, "millefiori" flavour and mixed candied fruits. I propose you the Sfogliatella frolla, much easier to make at home....but terrific as well as the Riccia! The filling is, anyway, always the same. Makes about 20 Sfogliatelle Ingredients for the pastry crust: 500gr Pastry flour 180gr

Croissants with apricot jam filling (cornetti alla marmellata di albicocche)

These croissants briochés with apricot jam filling are perfect for the traditional Italian breakfast: Cornetto e Cappuccino ! WOOOW I feel back in Italy already! Freshly baked they are delicious and the good baking smell will go all over your house...so what are you waiting to bake your own cornetti? The basic dough is the same of the French braided brioche Ingredients: 1French brioche dough see recipe here 1 cup of apricot jam 1 beaten egg for the glaze 1 tbs of milt for the glaze few tbs of pearl sugar for decoration Instructions: With a rolling pin start to roll out your brioche dough till you get a large circle. Try the get a perfect circle like the one above. Cut the circle in 16 triangles. Make a small cut at the base of the triangle. Fill with a teaspoon of jam. Roll the croissant starting from the large base. Roll all the croissants. Place them on an oven tray with parchment paper and make them rest for one hour. In the meanwhile p

Pastiera Napoletana, Neapolitan Easter Grain Pie

The content and pictures of this post are copyright registered & protected ©myitaliancuisine The Pastiera is the most famous Neapolitan Easter traditional pastry. Prepared since centuries, in the region of Campania almost every family own his special Pastiera recipe. It's a pie crust with a filling of boiled grains (grano cotto), milk, ricotta, candied fruits (cedro, zucca e arancia candita), orange blossoms water (acqua di fiori d'arancio). The Pastiera is so famous to deserve its own website: www.pastiera.com, I have got Pastiera from the Italian bakeries since I was a child.... and now I've finally baked it myself, a few times, trying to get the good recipe.... finally I think I got it! This is my own Pstiera recipe: the crust is the one I use for crust pies in general, the traditional recipe uses lard I prefer to use butter, you can use what you like. The canned cooked grains are a must, you will normally find it in the italian grocery stores, as wel

My Italian Cuisine

Search This Blog