Carnival Peaches with Nutella and Alchermes are typical sweets for the Carnival period. They consist of two halves of biscuit dough held together by a heart of Nutella, then soaked in the bright red of Alchermes and decorated with sugar.
They are also called Fake Peaches because of their spherical shape and rough surface reminiscent of a Peach. This dessert takes me back about 20 years when my grandma Licia started preparing all the Carnival sweets from the day of Saint Anthony onwards. Our house turned into a fryer, and she was there, beautiful and smiling, cooking for her large and beautiful family.
If you like Carnival sweets, try the Chiacchiere or the Frittelle, these are also grandma’s recipes!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 373.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 53.35 (g) of which sugars 25.67 (g)
- Proteins 8.13 (g)
- Fat 13.56 (g) of which saturated 9.23 (g)of which unsaturated 3.95 (g)
- Fibers 1.47 (g)
- Sodium 41.91 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 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 for about 20 Carnival Peaches
- 4 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 stick Butter (at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup Sugar (for the biscuit dough)
- 3 Eggs
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 1 Lemon (zest)
- 1 packet Vanillin
- 1 packet Baking powder
- 150 g Nutella®
- as needed Sugar
- 100 ml Alchermes
Tools
- Stand Mixer
- Oven
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Spoon
- 2 Plates
Preparation of Carnival Peaches with Nutella
As with the Carnival Chiacchiere, you can prepare the biscuit dough using two methods: either a nice large bowl or the dough hook with a stand mixer, obviously the easiest choice for me! So, I take the stand mixer bowl and pour in the sifted flour, sugar, vanillin, baking powder, and room temperature butter chunks, eggs, and finely grated lemon zest.
Lastly, I add the milk to assess how much is needed. Usually, to make the dough soft, it takes about three heaping tablespoons. Once you have a good soft dough, we proceed to form about 30 or 40 balls with slightly floured hands. During the baking phase, don’t rush, and I’ll explain why. Choose a nice large baking tray, place a sheet of parchment paper inside, and place the balls at a good distance from each other because they spread in diameter during baking. So, if you think of baking them all together, let me tell you right away that they’ll stick together. I baked 20 initially and then the other 20 in a static oven at 350°F for about 15 – 20 minutes.
Don’t lose sight of them during baking because those few extra minutes can make them too hard. The first batch took 20 minutes, the second took less since the oven was already nice and hot. When they are still warm, apply slight pressure to the flat part to create a hollow for the Nutella. I put in about a half tablespoon per side, as we are quite indulgent! Join the two sides to have a nice spherical shape. Once we have our 20 peaches, we move on to the final decoration. In a small bowl, we pour the Alchermes, and in a small plate, we pour some granulated sugar. Roll each ball in the liqueur, I like them bright red as I do not dilute the liqueur with water, then roll them in the sugar. Take baking paper and set them to rest. Your Carnival Peaches with Nutella and Alchermes are ready to be served to your loved ones or guests!
Enjoy your meal!!!
Storage of Carnival Peaches with Nutella
You can store this colorful and tasty dessert in a container with a lid or place them directly on a plate and close them in a dessert holder. You can keep them this way for a few days.
