I’m sure you know the Recipe for Dead Man’s Beans, the typical sweet for All Saints’ Day but the question is, how many versions do you know of this same recipe? Let me introduce you to the Marche Recipe version of Almond Flour Cookies with Varnelli! Like the Ciambelle Strozzose, here we go again talking about Varnelli, which was and still is used for many traditional recipes from my region.
The Dead Man’s Beans Cookies are made during the period of remembrance for the dead, from late October to early November, these sweet and crumbly almond cookies make their appearance on our tables. Bakeries, small town shops, and supermarkets compete to be the first to sell them, from the classic version with almond flour to those with cocoa, including vegan variants (which I haven’t tried yet). These small cookies can be made with almond flour or with crushed almonds; everything is allowed as long as you don’t skip the liquor that gives this cookie that extra touch.
There are various versions, from the Marche one with Varnelli to the Venetian one, Vicenza area, with grappa, the Umbrian where cocoa is added, to the Lazio with rum or vanilla. The main characteristic that all these recipes share is the almond, which should never be missing, whether in flour form or passed through a mixer. They should be approximately 1 inch in diameter, little balls to be flattened with the thumb, giving the shape reminiscent of the bean, after which this cookie is named.
They are typical of many Italian regions, made for the All Saints’ Day Celebrations, and could be called ugly but good, always ready in a few minutes, these are sweet cookies with roots in ancient stories. From convents to monasteries where many recipes of Italian cuisine were born, they then spread to popular kitchens. These cookies were prepared on the night between November 1st and 2nd, according to ancient legend, because it was on those two nights that the dear departed would visit their loved ones. In the Latin World, this event is called “Dia de los Muertos” and there are many legends that speak of it. In short, they are a little treat that Americans would gladly prepare for Halloween.
In Italy it doesn’t have this name, it is indeed called Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day and they are linked to the Christian faith. After many years, I am publishing the recipe because you have asked for it and indeed it wasn’t on the blog. However, I have relied on the help of Lauretta, my father’s partner, who has made many more almond cookies than I have. So the recipe you are about to read is hers, and together we will prepare fragrant and crumbly cookies with almond flour, sugar, softened butter, an egg, grated lemon, and a generous tablespoon of anise liqueur.
Are you ready to enjoy one of the oldest cookies in Italian cuisine? Yes indeed, the origin and name of this cookie date back even to ancient Rome, the Dead Man’s Beans were distributed during funerals to represent the soul of the deceased. The Bean was a symbol of death and rebirth at the same time, thus it was offered during the funeral sacrament. Each participant received a gift of a dead man’s bean.
Before moving on to the recipe for homemade dead man’s beans, I leave you with some other cookie recipes with crumbly and tasty shortbread. From intertwined cookies similar to mulino bianco to cinnamon cookies. There are also the Christmas Ginger Bread that I love, easy and without molasses. Then you’ll find another two typical Marche recipes, the rustic ciambellone and the strozzose ciambelle typical of Easter in the Marche.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Halloween, Day of the Dead
- Energy 129.21 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.36 (g) of which sugars 6.35 (g)
- Proteins 2.89 (g)
- Fat 7.70 (g) of which saturated 1.26 (g)of which unsaturated 0.80 (g)
- Fibers 1.44 (g)
- Sodium 10.02 (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 for Fragrant and Crumbly Dead Man’s Beans Almond Cookies
- 1 1/3 cups almond flour (or 150 grams of blanched almonds)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 egg (medium at room temperature)
- 1 lemon (the zest of one grated lemon)
- 1 tbsp anise liqueur (in my case Varnelli, a generous tablespoon, be generous)
Give the butter time to soften, don’t rush. I recommend taking it out of the refrigerator at least an hour in advance.
If you don’t have Varnelli at home, because you’re not from Marche, because you don’t even know what it is, you can add some rum, vanilla extract, vanilla powder, or unsweetened cocoa. Grappa is also good, but preferably aged.
Tools for Marche Dead Man’s Beans Recipe with Varnelli
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Oven
- 1 Scale
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Scraper
- 1 Grater
If you use blanched almonds you’ll need a food processor to grind the almonds into a workable flour for this recipe.
Steps to Prepare Almond Cookies for All Saints’ Celebrations
The procedure is very simple, this time we will really only dirty one bowl to prepare these cookies. No mixers for butter creaming or electric whisks are needed. Nothing at all as you have seen from the list of necessary tools for this recipe for dead man’s cookies.
Take a bowl with high sides and a wooden work surface, then place it on a table and start the cookie preparation. Weigh and then sift the two flours, pouring them into the bowl. Add the butter cut into small pieces, previously softened at room temperature; I would advise taking it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before preparation.
Grate the zest of a previously well-washed and dried lemon. Add a generous tablespoon of Varnelli Liqueur and then, using the same spoon, mix these ingredients.
Now break the egg and add it to the bowl, continue working by mixing the ingredients. Then transfer everything onto the wooden work surface, no additional flour should be needed to dust the surface. Knead quickly with your hands, don’t let the butter get too warm, otherwise, we will need to let the dough rest for at least twenty minutes in the refrigerator. So make quick and energetic movements. Form a nice ball. Now we have a dough similar to almond flour shortbread, take the scraper and divide it into several parts, then with your hands take portions of dough from these parts. Keep in mind that each cookie should be between 1 and 1.5 inches in diameter. So if you’re afraid of making mistakes, weigh about 0.7 to 1 oz per ball. Then place the ball on the work surface, press the center with your thumb, and apply light pressure to flatten the cookie giving each one the shape of a bean. If you’re afraid of making mistakes, of breaking the dough, just flatten the surface. Essentially, you’ll get flat cookies on the work surface side, with slightly concave tops.
Place the cookies onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F in static mode. Bake one tray at a time, considering a baking time of at least 12 minutes up to a maximum of 15. This variation in baking time obviously depends on the size of your almond cookies. If small, they obviously bake faster; otherwise, more minutes in the oven will be required.
Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack to allow the moisture inside to escape and no longer receive the heat from the tray. They will remain crispy, perfect bite after bite. Can you smell the aroma in the kitchen?
All that’s left is to wish you good appetite and remind you that I await you every day in my kitchen with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!
Storage of Dead Man’s Beans
Do you have those beautiful tin boxes from Grandma? Do you remember how lovely they were and how many times we were fooled because inside there were no more cookies but needles and threads? With those, you can store them for up to a week. Otherwise, opt for the more classic plastic cookie container, and you can store them this way for several days. Keep in mind that with this recipe we will get a fair number of almond flour cookies to consume within two or three days at most.
