RAME OF NAPLES are delightful Catanian cookies traditionally made for All Souls’ Day. Their history is certainly very old and the origin of the name, which links them to the city of Naples, is lost in the centuries. What is clear, however, is their fantastic flavor, which makes them eagerly awaited year after year by greedy little ones.
These cookies are characterized by a tender center rich in spicy aromas and by a coating made with a dark chocolate glaze and chopped pistachios.
The dough contains cocoa, crushed cookies, honey, orange marmalade and a wonderful mix of spices: almost every possible delight.
Preparing these cookies is a lovely way to celebrate our tradition for a festival that today, all over the world, is associated with Anglo-Saxon Halloween rites. In short, the celebration is fine, but don’t touch the kitchen!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 18 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour (00)
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Dry cookies (crumbled)
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp Baker's ammonia (or baking powder)
- 1/2 tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 4 Cloves (crushed)
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Lard
- 1 tbsp Orange marmalade (generous)
- 2/3 cup Milk
- 5.3 oz Dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup Vegetable oil (or 4 tbsp (60 g) butter)
- Chopped pistachios
For the Rame di Napoli you will need
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Small bowl
- Parchment paper
Preparation
To prepare the RAME OF NAPLES cookies, place the sifted flour, baker’s ammonia and cocoa powder into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add the sugar, the cookies crushed in a food processor until almost powdery, the cinnamon and the crushed cloves.
Mix all the dry ingredients well. Melt the butter with the lard in a bain-marie or in the microwave and, as soon as they are liquid, add the runny honey and incorporate it.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and knead everything for 5 minutes.
Then add the orange marmalade and the milk little by little. Incorporate the ingredients well until you obtain a homogeneous, smooth and soft dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, take pieces of dough and, rolling them between your hands, shape them into spheres the size of a walnut.
Slightly flatten each cookie and place it on the baking sheet, spaced apart from each other.
Bake in a preheated, conventional (static) oven at 356°F (180°C) for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the GLAZE for the coating.
Chop the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan together with the butter. Then melt it in a bain-marie, taking care not to let the saucepan containing the chocolate come into direct contact with the water underneath. You can also do this in the microwave.
Coat the surface of the Rame of Naples with the chocolate, place them on a wire rack and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Allow the glaze to set for at least 3 hours at room temperature before enjoying them.
Store in an airtight container so the chocolate does not absorb moisture and stain.
