The castagnelle, Apulian treats from the province of Foggia, are small cookies that are almost always prepared during the Christmas season.

Very similar to pupurati, these treats do not contain eggs in the dough or cooked must; but they are truly delicious thanks to the almonds and chocolate.

The dough is prepared in just a few minutes, either with the planetary mixer or by hand, and if you don’t feel like rolling out the dough and forming diamonds, you can cut the loaf into pieces and bake it. The aroma that fills the kitchen during baking is amazing and makes you want to bite into one immediately.

Like every traditional sweet, some say they are from Bari, others from Foggia, and as always, everyone has their own recipe that is well-guarded and passed down from mother to daughter.

This is my variation, and if you have the chance to make them, I’m sure you will appreciate them both for their ease of preparation and their deliciousness.

And if you love coffee with milk, try dipping them!

READ THE TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS AT THE END OF THE RECIPE.

OTHER INTERESTING RECIPES:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Inexpensive
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 2 COOKIE SHEETS
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Puglia
Seasonality: Christmas

95.03 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 95.03 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 13.08 (g) of which sugars 5.68 (g)
Proteins 2.37 (g)
Fat 3.93 (g) of which saturated 0.68 (g)of which unsaturated 2.70 (g)
Fibers 2.17 (g)
Sodium 0.87 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 20 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

2 cups type 1 flour (or 00)
7 oz almonds
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 oz 50% dark chocolate
1/3 cup coffee
3 tbsp milk
mandarin zest

Tools

Stand Mixer
Food Processor

Steps

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and set aside.

Toast the almonds with the skin in the oven for about 10′ at 356°F (180°C) and then chop them coarsely.

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 356°F (180°C)

Prepare the coffee and let it cool, in the meantime put the sifted flour, sugar, and cocoa (always sifted to avoid lumps) in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Add the cinnamon, baking powder, and chopped almonds. I powdered the mandarin zest with a teaspoon of almonds taken from the total and added this fragrant mixture to the other ingredients.
Pour the liquids: the coffee, milk, and melted chocolate. Mix until a workable and non-sticky dough is formed.
Form a log with the dough on a lightly floured surface, flatten slightly, and cut the cookies.
Place the cookies on the baking sheet lined with a mat or parchment paper and bake for about 15′. They should come out soft because they will slightly harden as they cool.