I’ve been wanting to prepare these cookies for so long, and finally this year I took on the challenge. They are truly delicious, whether enjoyed soft or hard for dipping. I prefer the hard, tooth-breaking ones, perfect for crunching!
Here are the Roccocò Neapolitan Christmas cookies, simple spiced rings with almonds and hazelnuts, offering a unique taste and flavor.
They are treats that are prepared at Christmas, also great as gifts along with other traditional sweets.
The characteristic of this cookie is the very rich and spiced dough due to the presence of pisto, a mix of aromas like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, star anise, coriander, and other spices, enriched with almonds, though I’ve also added hazelnuts and citrus peels.
I made some changes compared to the original traditional recipe, and the result was excellent.
Now let’s see how to prepare them!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for Roccocò Cookies
- 4 cups cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups cups sugar
- 5.3 oz oz toasted almonds (with skin)
- 3.5 oz oz toasted hazelnuts
- 2 orange peels (grated)
- 1 mandarin peel (grated)
- 3.5 oz fl oz water
- 1.75 oz fl oz orange and mandarin juice
- Half teaspoon pisto
- Half teaspoon baking ammonia
- 1 egg (for brushing)
Tools
- 1 Blender
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Baking Sheets
- 1 Oven
- 1 Stand Mixer
Steps for Roccocò Cookies
To prepare the Roccocò, start by toasting the almonds with the skin and the hazelnuts.
Place them on a baking sheet and put them in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes.
Once toasted, remove them from the oven, let them cool slightly, then put some in a blender at a time, grinding some very fine and some coarser.
You can make the dough either by hand in a bowl or with a stand mixer.
If you can’t find ready-made pisto, mix together 12 g of cinnamon, 2 g of nutmeg, 2 g of black pepper, 2 g of cloves, 2 g of coriander, 2 g of star anise; from this mixture, obtain 2 teaspoons).
Put the flour, pisto, sugar, and baking ammonia in the container, then add the citrus peels, the almonds and hazelnuts slightly crushed (not completely chopped), and finally the water and citrus juice at room temperature.
Start the stand mixer at low speed, or begin mixing from the center with a spoon, then proceed by hand until you get a soft and non-sticky dough.
Take pieces of dough from the block, work them into a stick about 4 inches long with a diameter of 0.6 inches. Close them to form a small ring and continue like this until all the dough is used.
Place the small rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced apart, then brush the surface with egg yolk.
ROCCOCÒ BAKING
Bake the Roccocò cookies in a preheated convection oven at 350°F for about 18-20 minutes.
Let cool and then serve the soft Roccocò cookies.If you prefer hard, crunchy Roccocò for dipping, lower the temperature to 300°F and extend the baking for another 15 minutes.
Always let them cool before serving the cookies.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
The Roccocò cookies keep well for about 10 days in an airtight tin.
If you prefer darker cookies, you can add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa.
You can always add chopped candied citron or orange peel.
The hard cookies are also excellent dipped in fortified wine.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use only almonds?
Yes, of course, the original recipe calls for only almonds. I added hazelnuts for an extra touch of flavor.
