Totò – traditional Sicilian cocoa cookies, typical sweets of the Day of the Dead, like Rame di Napoli, Nzuddi, ossa di morto, cotognata and mostarda. Missing from the long list of November sweets linked to the “All Saints” festivities were the chocolate Totò: soft, cocoa-glazed cookies, crumbly and delicious, typical of Sicilian cuisine and grandmother’s recipes, also known as Tètù, not to be confused with Biscotti bersaglieri or Biscotti regina. The origins of Sicilian Totò are lost in time, but it is suspected that, like Rame di Napoli, they were born from the need to recycle leftover baked goods. By grinding leftovers from other baked products and adding cocoa, among other ingredients, the origins of these sweets were hidden and given new life. Glazing them then produced a unique result: the sugary, crisp glaze masked any less desirable flavors.
Today, times have changed, and a dessert, besides being sweet, must also be good: the recipe has been significantly adapted, turning Totò into very soft glazed sweets that melt in the mouth, with a delicate flavor and a crunchy surface that contrasts with the biscuit’s crumbly texture. Let’s go to the kitchen and prepare Totò with cocoa together — but before rolling up our sleeves, as always 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) where you’ll also find many delicious autumn dessert recipes, autumn risottos: many seasonal recipes and many quick autumn recipes.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: about 40 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 3/4 cups All-purpose flour (Farina 00)
- 2/3 cup Lard (Strutto)
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Milk (about)
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Baker's ammonia (ammonium carbonate) (Ammoniaca per dolci)
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 packet Vanillin (vanilla powder)
- 1 Lemon zest (grated)
- 2 1/2 cups Powdered sugar (confectioners')
- 1/3 cup Water (hot)
- 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch Ground cinnamon (optional)
Tools
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Bowls
Preparation
Prepare all the ingredients.
Take a large bowl and add the flour, lard, eggs, lemon zest, cocoa, sugar, vanillin (vanilla powder), baking ammonia and the milk; add the milk gradually while you work the dough to adjust its consistency, which should be workable but very soft.
Knead until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous mass, then let the dough rest for a few minutes covered with a kitchen cloth.
Once the dough is ready, roll out ropes of dough about 3/8 inch thick and form small little rings as shown in the photo — I know, they look a bit odd…
Bake at 356°F for about 15 minutes; they should be cooked but not dry.
Now you need to prepare the glaze, which is not difficult, though it takes a bit of experience to recognize when it’s ready by sight — however, it’s simple and you should succeed fairly quickly.
In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, the cocoa and the hot water; whisk very well and try to incorporate air. You should obtain a dense, glossy mixture in which you will dip the cookies.
Test it: dip a cookie and glaze it, place it on a rack and leave it exposed to the air for 10 minutes. If the glaze is good you will see it begin to crystallize quickly and become matte; if it’s too runny it will slide off easily and you will need to add more powdered sugar.
Place the glazed cookies on a rack and wait for them to dry — it will take about 60 minutes if everything went well, otherwise wait longer.
Store the dry cookies in a tin and enjoy them whenever you like.
Notes
My cookies are finished and have a uniform glaze because each one is glazed individually. Commercial versions, being harder and more compact, are dipped in glaze all together in large quantities, mixed and then left to dry; for that reason the glaze does not spread evenly and the cookies are often broken.
