The soft almond cookies with honey (Calabrian recipe) are simple cookies also called “marzallette”, slightly dark and with an intense aftertaste of honey accompanied by crunchy almonds.
The almond cookies are cut into large, long slices made from a dough of flour, honey, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, and orange or lemon peel, ingredients that give a particularly aromatic taste, they are not soft but compact and slightly sticky.
This type of cookie can have several variants: soft or hard cookie, with and without almonds, darker cookie with the addition of cooked wine and chestnut honey, I made the simple soft version, which I prefer more.
The almond cookies are typical sweets, prepared according to ancient recipes of the Dominican monks of the Soriano Calabro convent, still made today with natural ingredients, honey, and selected almonds, perfect to enjoy at any time of the day, many also prepare them for Christmas holidays even though they are now also found daily in supermarkets.
These cookies are widespread in the south, also found in markets and Calabrian festivals along with many other local products, called soft almond cookie, almond cookie or marzalletta not to be confused with mostaccioli which have the same shape but are much harder and more biscuit-like.
Today I propose my recipe with many toasted almonds that I have experimented with and am very satisfied with.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for Soft Almond Cookies with Honey Calabrian Recipe
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup orange honey (or wildflower)
- Half orange or lemon peel (grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Half teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3.5 oz almonds (toasted)
Tools
- Bowl
- Baking sheet
- Oven
Preparation for Soft Almond Cookies with Honey Calabrian Recipe
To prepare these cookies, start by toasting the almonds for a few minutes under the oven grill, just 5 minutes to give a slight crunch.
Take a bowl and pour in the flour and the grated orange or lemon peel.If you can’t find fresh citrus fruits, you can use a teaspoon of dried orange peel, also add the cinnamon, ground cloves, and baking powder, mix well, and then pour the honey.
Add a small amount of water, about 2 tablespoons, just to work everything well. Knead well until the dough is nice and homogeneous, finally add the whole toasted almonds, work again, and mix everything well.
The dough is soft but a bit sticky, wet your hands under running water and pour the dough into a mold or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Always wetting your hands, shape the dough like a long loaf about 1 – 1.5 inches high.
Bake the loaf in a pre-heated convection oven at 350°F for about 20/25 minutes, if using the traditional method, extend the cooking by a few more minutes.
Adjust based on the power of your oven for cooking, the loaf should be nicely golden.After baking, remove the loaf from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, then with a good sharp knife cut into large slices, as in the photo, about 0.8 inches thick.
Let them cool before enjoying these delicious aromatic cookies.
Advice and Variants
To give a darker color to the cookie, you can also use chestnut honey or cooked wine.
If you prefer hard cookies like mostaccioli, toast the slices in a convection oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
Soft almond cookies keep soft for several days when tightly closed in a tin.
To give a darker color to the cookie, you can also use chestnut honey or cooked wine.
If you prefer hard cookies like mostaccioli, toast the slices in a convection oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
Soft almond cookies keep soft for several days when tightly closed in a tin.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why do the cookies come out hard and not soft?
It depends on the cooking time and the thickness of the dough to be cooked.
For soft cookies, just reduce the cooking time, sometimes the power of your oven is very high, and they tend to harden.Can I replace almonds with something else?
The original recipe requires almonds, but if you prefer, you can substitute with hazelnuts, pistachios, or raisins.
