The Calabrian almond paste dry cookies with candied fruit are delicious soft and fragrant cookies that melt in your mouth, classic southern pastries that are the absolute protagonists of dry pastries even though they are very soft.
The Calabrian almond pastries, topped with a candied cherry, a coffee bean, or an almond, remain soft and friable for a long time.
These are pastries of ancient tradition and in Calabria many years ago it was the sweet par excellence during wedding celebrations, in fact, it was customary to make a package with these assorted cookies, sugared almonds, and chocolates.
Almond pastes are great for accompanying tea or coffee or as a gift tray for friends and family, they are gluten and lactose-free.
They are sweets that, due to their beautiful appearance and deliciousness, are perfect for gifting, especially during the Christmas season.
Besides the almond scent, Calabrian pastes are often flavored with bergamot, making them even more characteristic of the area.
TRY ALSO THESE RECIPES
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Calabrian Almond Paste Dry Cookies with Candied Fruit
- 7.05 oz almond flour
- 3.88 oz sugar (granulated)
- 1 egg white (1.34-1.41 oz)
- 1 vial almond flavor
- to taste powdered sugar
- to taste candied fruit (colored)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Refrigerator
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Oven
Steps for Calabrian Almond Paste Dry Cookies with Candied Fruit
In a bowl, pour the almond flour, you can also make it by grinding peeled almonds adding a bit of sugar taken from the ingredients.
Add the egg white and the almond flavor vial, mix everything well, work the dough with your hands until you get a soft dough ball.
Close in a container with a lid and let rest in the fridge for about 1 hour, resting will make the dough easy to work with, otherwise, it would be too moist and sticky.
Once the necessary time has passed, take the dough ball from the fridge, take pieces of dough about 0.7 oz each, round them well with your hands, roll in powdered sugar and then place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced apart.
Complete each almond paste by adding a candied fruit in the center with light pressure, let the almond pastes rest in the fridge for at least another hour then bake.
Bake the almond pastes in a ventilated oven at 356°F for about 10-12 minutes, they should just color, when cooked the almond pastes should maintain a light color!
They will be very soft, do not touch them immediately, once they cool down a bit, place them on trays and serve!
Storage, Tips, and Variations
You can store the cookies in a cookie jar or bagged for about 1 month, in a dry place.
The cookies can be made in different shapes with a pinch or flower with a piping bag, they can also be decorated with almonds, candied fruit, or coffee beans.
The dough can also be flavored with bergamot, orange, or lemon.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use another flavoring?
Yes, of course, they can be flavored with bergamot, lemon, or orange.
