The quaresimali are Neapolitan cookies that, as their very name suggests, are typically eaten in the period from Carnival to Easter — that is, Lent, a time of abstaining from fatty foods of animal origin.
Indeed, these cookies are free of butter, milk and eggs, and are prepared using only 00 flour, sugar, water, almonds and spices.
In taste and texture they are a little reminiscent of susamielli and roccocò, which are made at Christmas.
What these cookies have in common, besides the almonds, is the presence of the Neapolitan pisto — a spice mix such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and coriander.
Some recipes also call for candied cedar, which I have omitted.
They are really very easy to prepare and also quite quick, even when kneaded by hand.
Take a minute to read the recipe and then… let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients
- 2 cups 00 flour (Italian pastry flour)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pisto (mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)
- 3/4 cup warm water (warm (about 200 ml))
- 1/2 grated orange zest (grated)
- 1/2 tsp baker's ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate)
- 1 3/4 cups almonds (shelled)
- 1 egg (for brushing the surface)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cooling rack
Steps
To prepare the quaresimali, start by toasting the almonds in a pan over low heat for about ten minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl place the flour, grated orange zest, pisto, and sugar and mix them well together. Then add, little by little, the warm water in which you have dissolved the baker’s ammonia. Use a fork to mix all the ingredients directly in the bowl. When the dough has taken on some consistency, add the toasted almonds and continue kneading by hand.
Then transfer to a work surface lightly dusted with flour.
Compact the dough and divide it into two portions; shape each into a log about 3/4 inch high and 2 3/8 inches wide and brush the surface with a beaten egg.
Perform a first baking in a preheated convection oven at 356°F for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven, let the logs cool and then cut them into slices about 3/8 inch thick.
Arrange the resulting quaresimali on the baking tray and bake them a second time, again in a preheated convection oven, at 320°F for 15 minutes.
Once baked, let them cool on a cooling rack, then enjoy them accompanied by a tea or a sweet dessert wine, such as a good passito.
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