The Calabrian Easter sweet cudduraci with vermouth are typical sweets prepared in Reggio Calabria during the Easter period.
They are made from a simple soft dough with various characteristic shapes such as baskets, hearts, doves, bunnies, etc. decorated with hard-boiled eggs both inside and outside the dough and colorful sprinkles, they are very thick and after a couple of days, the cookie gains more flavor and becomes softer.
These sweets were once prepared well in advance, I still remember when my grandmother set aside eggs a few days before preparing these big cookies as I used to call them, they were made for family celebrations and Easter Monday or as gifts for friends and relatives, those that remained were dunked in milk for breakfast!
In the past, these sweets were also made for one’s fiancé, young brides-to-be made the cudduraci for their betrothed as a symbol of love, the sweet was made in the shape of a heart with many hard-boiled eggs, or in the shape of a doll with a hard-boiled egg in its belly as a wish for the birth of happy offspring in the upcoming marriage.
Tradition has it that the larger the sweet, the greater the love felt for the person to whom it is given.
Today I propose the cudduraci recipe as my grandmother and mother prepared them, they did not use butter or milk but only a simple mixture of eggs, flour, lard, and vermouth, which I have adapted by replacing the lard with butter, equally delicious!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 5 large pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients for Calabrian Easter Sweet Cudduraci with Vermouth
- 1 kg all-purpose flour (approximately)
- 250 g butter (or lard)
- 5 eggs (medium)
- 50 ml sweet vermouth (or other liquor or milk)
- 300 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt (generous)
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 2 packets baking powder
- to taste hard-boiled eggs
- 1 egg (small for brushing)
- to taste colorful sprinkles
Tools
- Stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Pastry cutter
- Pastry brush
Preparation for Calabrian Easter Sweet Cudduraci with Vermouth
For the preparation of cudduraci, prepare the necessary hard-boiled eggs in advance.
Boil in a saucepan for about 10 minutes, then cool in cold water.To prepare the shortcrust pastry you can use a stand mixer or knead by hand in a bowl.
In the mixer’s bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and chopped lemon zest.Add the soft butter, vermouth, half the flour, baking powder, and gradually the sifted flour, mix and blend everything well.
Do not add all the flour, set some aside for working the dough later, which should be quite soft.Wrap it in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.
After resting, roll out the dough and start preparing the shapes you like most.
If you have templates, use them, I prepared and cut the dough by hand with a pastry cutter.
You can place the hard-boiled egg inside the dough as I did for the basket and the dove.
Or make braided mini-doughnuts, simple braids, and position the hard-boiled egg on the outside as shown in the attached photos.
Place your creations on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Do not make them too thick because they increase in volume during baking.Mini doughnuts with hard-boiled egg!
Bell and flower
Panareddu with hard-boiled egg
Brush the cudduraci with beaten egg, sprinkle with colorful sprinkles, and then begin baking in a preheated oven.
BAKING CUDDURACI
Bake the Cudduraci at 356°F for about 25-30 minutes. Baking time varies from oven to oven, depending on the power and size of the cookies, adjust by eye and remove from the oven when they are golden brown.
These Calabrian cudduraci are really delicious, especially in the morning with milk.
CUDDURACI ready and packaged in transparent bags and closed with colorful ribbon.
Tips and Variations
You can use lard as the original recipe suggests, use templates and make the shape you like most.
The cudduraci can be stored in a cool place, sealed in a container for about 7 days, without hard-boiled eggs they last longer.
For other Easter recipes click here.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I make the dough lactose-free?
Yes, you can replace the butter with lactose-free butter or use seed oil in the dough, reducing the amount by 30 g.
Olive Oil Shortcrust Pastry for Sweets
