Sicilian almond pastries,
Traditional preparation and also with the Bimby.
1959 recipe from Grandma Maria
Sicilian almond pastries or dry pastries, small jewels of the pastry of my land.
My sweet and dear Grandma Maria made them in the family pastry shop where I was born and raised.
They are easy and economical, they last a long time, so much so that in my area they are sent to relatives all over the world, especially as gifts during holidays.
They are not soft cookies, it would be offensive to call them that, but real pastries, made with sweet almonds and garnished with candied cherries of various colors, almonds, citron, candied pumpkin, etc.
They appear elegant, and you can serve them at tea time.
Sicilian almond pastries along with the Sicilian Accoppiatine make a respectable assortment.
You will also find indications for diabetics who should not use candied fruits for decoration
From my Sicily, you might also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 20 pastries
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 143.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 16.08 (g) of which sugars 15.38 (g)
- Proteins 2.77 (g)
- Fat 7.54 (g) of which saturated 0.04 (g)of which unsaturated 0.44 (g)
- Fibers 1.81 (g)
- Sodium 16.34 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 40 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 2 cups g almond flour
- 1 1/4 cups g granulated sugar (Or powdered erythritol)
- 1 lemon zest (1 whole organic lemon)
- 3 egg whites (at room temperature)
- as needed powdered sugar
- as needed candied cherries (various colors)
- as needed almonds
- as needed candied fruit (of your choice)
Sicilian Almond Pastries
Tools
What we need to make
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Electric whisk or the Bimby
- 1 Piping bag with star nozzle
- 2 Baking sheets
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Oven hot point ariston
Steps
Let’s go to the kitchen
Recipe with whisk or stand mixer.
Grate the lemon zest and combine it in a bowl with the flour and sugar.
Mix until you get a homogeneous mixture
With the whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt.
Now that the egg whites are stiff, gently incorporate the flour mixture using a spatula, folding from bottom to top to avoid deflating them
Place the mixture in a piping bag with a star nozzle,
Take a baking sheet with parchment paper on top, and form small puffs, of various shapes to your liking, about 1.5 inches in diameter
Decorate each pastry with candied cherries, whole almonds, or candied citrus peels, and a dusting of powdered sugar. This will give them shine, or do it after baking.
It’s time to let the pastries rest in the fridge for at least 6/8 hours, better if overnight.
Once the time has passed, preheat the oven to 356°F static, and only when it has reached the temperature, bake the trays. Bake the pastries for 15 minutes not more otherwise they become hard.
Let cool at room temperature and if you like, dust with powdered sugar
After baking, the almond pastries should still be soft. Let them cool at room temperature and after a few hours, they will have the right consistency.
-
Put the lemon zest and sugar in the bowl, pulverize for 10 seconds at speed 10.
Gather with the spatula and add the flour, pulverize for another 10 seconds at speed 10.
Transfer the powders to a bowl, and without washing the bowl insert the butterfly whisk
add the egg whites with a pinch of salt, close with the measuring cup, and whisk until stiff peaks for 5 min. at speed 4.
Now that the egg whites are stiff, remove the butterfly whisk, close the lid, and reduce the speed to 2. Through the hole, incorporate the flour mixture gently while the blades are moving until the mixture appears smooth and homogeneous.
Place the mixture in a piping bag with a star nozzle,
Take a baking sheet with parchment paper on top, and form small puffs, of various shapes to your liking, about 1.5 inches in diameter
Decorate each pastry with candied cherries, whole almonds, or candied citrus peels. It’s time to let the pastries rest in the fridge for at least 6/8 hours, better if overnight.
Once the time has passed, preheat the oven to 356°F static, and only when it has reached the temperature, bake the trays. Bake the pastries for 15 minutes not more otherwise they become hard. Let cool at room temperature and dust with a little powdered sugar
After baking, the almond pastries should still be soft. Let them cool at room temperature and after a few hours, they will have the right consistency.
Storage
Sicilian almond pastries,
Storage:
they remain soft for about 10 days in a container, but over time, they are still edible but become harder, and nevertheless, they are excellent up to 1 month
Variations:
For decoration, you can vary with various sprinkles like almonds, pistachios.
If desired, some can be decorated with melted chocolate at the end of cooking.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Sicilian almond pastries
Can I use other types of flour?
No, absolutely not; they wouldn’t be almond pastries.
