Sicilian San Martino Cookies are traditional Sicilian sweets prepared on November 11th, the day of San Martino’s feast. Besides commemorating the saint, it coincides with the rural life of the past.
On this day, agricultural contracts were renewed, and the season’s fruits, including the new wine, were celebrated. Indeed, on this day, even today, the first bottle of new wine is opened, accompanied by typical products of this period like these cookies.
Throughout Italy, we find typical cookies made for this feast, and it is mostly customary to dip them in the new wine.
This type of cookie, although leavened, is not as soft as one might think, but remains slightly dry. However, if you want, you can consume them without filling and store them in a paper or plastic bag, and they will keep for a few days. For the recipe, I used the sheep ricotta from Pinna dairy, a company rich in history and their products are a guarantee.
I recommend making them at least once to try them and follow my photos for more clarity on the making of our Sicilian San Martino cookies.
Approx. 335 kcal per filled cookie
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 15 cookies
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: San Martino
Ingredients for 15 Sicilian San Martino Cookies
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 0.88 oz Fresh brewer's yeast
- 3.5 oz Lard
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Warm water
- 1 tbsp Anise seeds (I ground them)
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 19 oz Sheep ricotta
- 1 1/4 cups Powdered sugar
- 2.5 oz Dark chocolate chips
- 4 tsp Moscato wine
- 4 tsp Water
- 0.7 oz Powdered sugar (optional)
Preparation of Sicilian San Martino Cookies
Start the preparation in a stand mixer or by hand, it will take more time but the result is guaranteed !!!
Put 3 1/4 cups of flour in the bowl, the sugar, ground cinnamon and anise seeds, which I ground as I prefer them that way, and mix a little !!!
Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in 3 1/3 tbsp of water taken from the total amount, mix and then add it to the rest of the dough and mix.
Add a pinch of salt, the water, the lard, mix, then add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and work the dough until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for a few minutes, then place it in a bowl and let it rise for about 3 hours in a closed and warm place.
You can let the dough rise in the oven with the light on.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a work surface and form a sausage, cut pieces of 2 oz and create cords about 10 inches long and roll them onto themselves to create a spiral.
Place the spirals on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper well spaced apart and let rise again for about 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 356°F and bake the cookies for 30 minutes checking the baking.
Once baked, let the cookies cool well and in the meantime prepare the filling cream.
In a bowl, put the ricotta, powdered sugar, and dark chocolate chips, mix well and leave in the fridge.
Take the well-cooled cookies, cut them in half and soak the inside with the Moscato soaking, then put the ricotta cream in a piping bag, or if more comfortable with a spoon, fill our cookies, then close the two halves.
Serve dusted with powdered sugar if you want, or without, and enjoy, they are delicious !!!
