Sicilian sweet buccellati with dried figs, grandma’s recipe for Christmas sweets and part of the wide Sicilian cuisine, like Cuddureddi di Caltagirone, Cassatelle di Agira, Mmugghiati, Nucatoli and much, much more!

The Sicilian sweet buccellato is a typical Christmas specialty, an autumnal and winter dessert mostly widespread around Palermo but consumed throughout Sicily under different names. The fig buccellato is made from a base of Sicilian shortcrust pastry with lard filled with dried figs, almonds, walnuts, raisins, cocoa, chocolate, candied fruit and flavorings. It is not difficult to prepare, but it requires some time. To make the original Sicilian buccellato there are many recipes, variants and shapes, as happens with all traditional recipes that change from place to place and from family to family, but broadly the main ingredients remain the same. The name “buccellato” originates from a ring-shaped bread eaten by the Romans, “buccellatum”; to this day the ring-shaped bread in some parts of Sicily is called “cucciddatu”. Thanks to its appearance, in the Caltagirone area the buccellato is also known by the name “cudduredda”, meaning little crown.

Buccellati can be made as a single large ring or in smaller individual shapes. To decorate them a special crimping tool with serrated teeth is used — my husband’s grandmother called it a “pizzicalora” — which gives the classic crown shape. In Sicily you will never find two identical buccellati, especially in shape, and you might also taste “buccellatini”, almost like slices of a large buccellato, made from the same ingredients but with different shapes and finishes. In pastry shops around Sicily buccellati are often decorated with candied fruit and pistachio crumbs, while homemade versions are usually finished with sugar glaze and colored sprinkles.

Now it’s time to rush to the kitchen and prepare Sicilian buccellati together, but first I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

Look at these Sicilian sweets:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 10
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients to make Sicilian buccellati

6 cups 00 flour (type 00 all-purpose)
10.5 tbsp lard (about 5.3 oz)
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baker's ammonia (ammonium carbonate)
2/3 cup milk (or a little more (about 5 fl oz))
as needed orange zest (organic)
3 cups dried figs (chopped)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp Marsala (or sweet wine)
1/3 cup water (about 2.4 fl oz (approx. 70 ml))
1 cup almonds (toasted)
1 cup walnut kernels (toasted (about 3.5 oz))
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cloves (ground)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup candied fruit (zuccata)
3/4 cup candied orange peel
as needed orange marmalade
as needed colored sprinkles
as needed egg (beaten for finishing)

Tools

Oven
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Pastry brush
Bowls
Blender
Pasta roller
Tongs for pastries
Pot

Preparing Sicilian buccellati with dried figs

The evening before assembling the sweets, remove the stems from the dried figs and cut them into pieces — I use kitchen scissors.
Place them in a heavy-bottomed pot together with the wine, the water and the raisins (previously soaked for no more than ten minutes in warm water, then drained) and the marmalade.
Set over medium heat and stir continuously for 15–20 minutes. Turn off when you have a thick mixture that tends to come away from the pot in one mass.
Transfer the mixture from the pot to a bowl and let it cool overnight.
Place the walnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and toast for ten minutes in a 356°F oven, taking care not to burn them.
The next morning put the mixture into a blender and process on high for a few minutes until smooth and homogeneous.
Add the toasted nuts, candied fruit (zuccata), candied orange peel, the ground cloves, cinnamon and cocoa, then blend again.
Transfer everything to a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips. Mix well.
The buccellati filling is ready; let’s move on to the Sicilian shortcrust pastry.
Pour the flour onto a work surface, make a well, add the lard and work until you obtain a crumbly mixture.
Make the well again and add the remaining ingredients, combining them while adding the milk little by little. Be careful: the dough should be firm and compact, so do not overdo the liquid.
Once you have a smooth and homogeneous dough you can begin to shape the cookies.
Take a piece of dough and pass it several times through the pasta roller on the widest setting until you obtain a smooth, even sheet.
Cut sheets about 12 inches long. With oiled hands shape portions of filling into ropes about 3/4 inch in diameter. Place the rope on the wider side of the dough sheet and wrap the dough around it to form a long, even roll. Run your hands along it with the same motion used to stretch dough: this will release any air bubbles and make the dough adhere to the filling.
Fold the roll onto itself, remove any excess dough and tuck one end into the other.
You have formed small rings; it’s time to pinch them with the proper pastry crimping tongs.
Pinch the dough to form the characteristic decorations.
Brush with beaten egg and bake in a static oven at 356°F for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven when you have achieved the desired golden color.
Shortly before removing the sweets from the oven, warm some apricot jam or orange marmalade until fluid.
Take the cookies out of the oven and, immediately while still hot, brush them with the marmalade and decorate with colored sprinkles or pistachio crumbs.
The buccellato — or in this case the buccellati — is ready. Let them cool completely and start enjoying them.
Store the buccellati on a tray covered with a sheet of parchment paper in a cool, dry place; they will keep well for 4–5 weeks.