Soft baked castagnole with alchermes.
Castagnole are an ancient Carnival sweet, widespread throughout Italy. They are called Castagnole because the dough balls resemble the size of chestnuts.
These soft baked castagnole, although not fried, are equally delicious and super soft and can be prepared in no time, no frying, no stress!
Although they are typical Carnival treats, I make them all year round, they’re a hit! One leads to another.
Besides being delicious, these baked castagnole are also aesthetically pleasing, especially in this red ruby version, they are ideal for Carnival and Valentine’s Day.
If you are looking for cheerful and delicious treats for Carnival, I recommend trying my: “Funfetti Muffins with butter and cinnamon“, moist and soft inside and fragrant, or my: “Piñata Cupcakes” with vanilla, surprise treats, super cute.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 18 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival, Valentine's Day
Ingredients for Soft Baked Castagnole with Alchermes
- 1 2/3 cups Flour
- 6 tbsp Sugar
- 2 Whole eggs
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Baking powder (1/2 packet)
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp Alchermes (or Rum or Strega)
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar (or colored sprinkles as in the picture)
Tools for Soft Baked Castagnole with Alchermes:
- Mixer Electric Philips with 450W power
- Non-stick baking sheet Perforated
Preparation of Soft Baked Castagnole with Alchermes:
Place the flour in a bowl and gradually add all the other ingredients (to speed up, I worked the dough with the electric mixer, but you can easily work it by hand).
The ingredients must be well mixed and the dough homogeneous, but do not overwork it. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes covered.
After the resting time, with slightly wet hands, separate dough balls and place them on a baking tray (preferably perforated) lined with parchment paper, well spaced apart.
Place the tray in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 10-15 minutes (depends on your oven).
Once baked, quickly pass the still warm castagnole first in the alchermes (or chosen liqueur) and then in the granulated sugar.
Try to eat these soft castagnole freshly made and warm, but they keep well the next day and for up to two days (well sealed in a plastic bag when cold).
If you don’t like the very alcoholic taste, you can dilute the liqueur with a little water or simply sprinkle the baked castagnole with powdered sugar.
For children: you can instead soak the castagnole in a mixture of milk and cocoa and then pass them in granulated sugar.
Shopping Tips!!
If you are looking for a top electric mixer, I recommend the excellent Philips electric mixer with 5 speeds (+ turbo) and powerful 450 W.
To get the castagnole in a beautiful vivid ruby red, I recommend this ‘Alchermes that I always use when I want to achieve intense and vivid red desserts, without colorants.
To bake treats and cookies evenly, this perforated non-stick baking tray is ideal.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon at a great price, just click directly on the related links.
What is the history of castagnole?
The basic recipe is very ancient and unchanged: their name, which comes from the chestnut fruit, is found in the 17th-century cookbooks of the D’Angiò and those of the early 18th century of the Farnese.
Served in the great courts of the past, even in the lighter oven-baked variant, they are enjoyed by adults and children from the end of the holiday season until Ash Wednesday.
