They are not tozzetti and they are not cantucci, the appearance might be similar but they are Civitavecchia Biscuttine cookies or Civitavecchia Christmas cookies.
Crunchy and superb, a Christmas tradition of this town in Lazio.
You may be wondering, why is someone from Vicenza talking about Civitavecchia Biscuttine cookies? You should know that I have been part of the Italian Association of Food Bloggers for many years. Among the many initiatives to learn about food culture, this year it was decided to bake cookies all together. On Friday evenings in December, we meet online with other members and bake cookies.
The first week we prepared the pignoletti, this time the Civitavecchia Biscuttine. In this case, they are traditional recipes, with butter and eggs, but nothing prevents you from making them vegan, I will also provide the alternative quantities.
There are many variants of these Civitavecchia Biscuttine cookies, practically every family in the area has its own. On the evening of the 23rd, people gather in the streets of Civitavecchia for Christmas carols, and they bring and gift the cookies.
Vittoria Tassotti revealed the secret of her chocolate variant, with hazelnuts and almonds, with candied cherries, delicious. Here are other traditional cookies
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
Original recipe error, it requires 250 g of flour
I varied the type of flour from the original recipe by using type 1 flour instead of 00 flour – instead of candied cherries, I used dried cranberries and instead of 250 g of sugar I used 100 g of whole sugar.
- 2 eggs (organic)
- 3/4 cup whole cane sugar
- 2 cups type 1 flour
- 2 oz whole hazelnuts
- 2 oz almonds
- 4 oz dried cranberries
- 4 oz 70% dark chocolate (chopped)
- 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch vanilla (bourbon)
- 1/2 packet baking powder (cream of tartar)
- 9 tbsp butter (or soy butter)
Steps
Preheat the fan oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar. Gradually incorporate the flour with the baking powder, the pinch of salt, the cocoa, the cinnamon, the vanilla, and the whole almonds and hazelnuts. Add the melted butter and knead well, even with your hands. Lastly, add the dried cranberries and mix everything.
Bring the fairly consistent dough onto the floured work surface. Form 3 logs the length of your baking sheet, which you will have covered with parchment paper.
Carefully move them onto the baking sheet, well spaced apart. Bake for 30 minutes, checking that they do not burn.
After 30 minutes, remove the sheet and after letting it cool down a bit, cut the cookies diagonally to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Lay them flat on the sheet and bake again for 8 minutes on one side, and another 5 minutes on the other.
Let them cool thoroughly before placing them in tin boxes.
Thyme and Lentil’s Tips
Make sure the knife is well sharpened and the dough is warm before cutting the cookies. Turn them gently for baking to ensure almonds and hazelnuts do not fall out. Transfer into well-sealed tin boxes for storage. The cookies will keep for up to 15 days.
