Marzelletti with Almonds…The Goodness and Aroma of Calabrian Traditions
And you can’t miss marzelletti with almonds, my favorite Calabrian dessert.
Behind my house, in that shop where we would enthusiastically visit every day to watch how they made the sweets, with that honey that dripped golden every day from the containers, the aroma of chestnut and orange, fig honey, and shiny papers.
It’s been many years since I’ve returned to my hometown, I plan to go back soon, I feel the need.
I would like to walk the roads of the past, days meant for play and scents, walks in the fields to visit my grandparents in the countryside, among deafening cicadas and prickly pear plants.
I was young when I left, I returned just once, in the rush of summer holidays with friends, in the bite-and-run of a day. Now I’ve finally managed to have a meeting point, a point of reference…
But enough with the memories, let’s talk about marzelletti with almonds.
They are very easy to make, aromatic and tasty, they have something special.
They are the sweets of our Italian tradition, which I wouldn’t want to be lost…Like many others, that along the way find no one to produce them, no one to fall in love with these old flavors, these aromas that smell of goodness, that gather stories.
These cookies are made only in Soriano Calabro, I have known the producers for a lifetime, from those days when, among children’s raids, we went around the town to greet the shopkeepers, from the mostaccioli producer to the oil producer; that’s how I learned about the olive pressing, at the mill behind the house, the same olives I used to pick with my mom and aunts as a child. She prepared us bruschetta with freshly made oil and bread toasted in the wood oven. If I think about it, I can still taste it!
I’ve once again let my memory fly elsewhere.
I try to make known the recipes that have accompanied my years and many others; we have a wealth of flavors in Italy unique in the world for its richness and variety, and it is worth continuing to produce those local products that are not yet part of industrial production. I always say I am lucky to have met people who shared knowledge with me and I jealously guard it. Among these, also the recipes of the Italian family, mixed between north and south.
To make these cookies you would need the fig honey, millefiori, orange, or chestnut…
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: About 30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 426.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 73.25 (g) of which sugars 32.11 (g)
- Proteins 10.33 (g)
- Fat 13.46 (g) of which saturated 1.17 (g)of which unsaturated 11.70 (g)
- Fibers 9.74 (g)
- Sodium 33.54 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
Very few and aromatic!
- 4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups honey
- 2 1/4 cups almonds (Unpeeled)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 orange zest (Zest of a small orange. Dried or fresh, important to be finely ground)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder (Mixed with half cloves)
- 1 tsp baking soda
Tools
A mixing bowl, one for warming the honey
Steps
It takes just a few minutes to prepare these delicious and traditional rustic cookies.
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Prepare all the ingredients and start with your hands in the dough. In a bowl, pour the flour, water, aromas, and baking soda
Then add the almonds…
Finally, the warmed honey to blend better… Unfortunately, I am missing photos of the dough, a day full of memories, but I left behind some photos while chatting.😁😇🥴
Line a rectangular mold with parchment paper and place the mixture
Bake in a preheated oven at about 338°F (170°C) for about twenty minutes. Remove from oven and without turning it off, place the loaf on a cutting board and cut into slices about 0.6 inches thick. Place on the oven grill and toast.
Remove from oven and let cool. They keep for several days. Over time, they become softer. I find them delicious!
They keep well in a tin box. I don’t know of any other variations except in the choice to make smaller slices. I gladly give them as gifts at Christmas, but when I can, I make them to eat for breakfast year-round. By now in Soriano, there are very few producers, who can be counted on one hand, among them an almost family member. So I keep the recipe close, while making it known to not lose it.
