260 Kcal per cauciunitto
Baked cauciunitti are a traditional sweet from Abruzzo, which slightly changes its name depending on the area of Abruzzo and the filling also varies a bit.
They are often found especially during the Christmas period, and the version I propose is not the classic fried one, but baked.
The recipe I propose below is for about 35 baked cauciunitti, if you think they are too many, once cooked, separate them with baking paper, and you can freeze them on a tray, then defrost them in the microwave as needed and they will seem freshly cooked.
You will also find the fried version in this section of Christmas-related recipes.
I use a glass as a unit of measure for the shortcrust pastry, which can be either plastic or slightly larger glass, it doesn’t matter, you might need a little more flour, but being an exceptional shortcrust pastry, it won’t give you problems.
If you make this or other recipes on my blog, send me the photo, if you like, I will post it on my FB page in your name.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 35 cauciunitti
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, All seasons
Ingredients for making baked cauciunitti
- 5 medium eggs
- 1 cup corn or sunflower oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 packets of baking powder dissolved in a tall glass with two fingers of milk
- 2 packets vanillin
- 1 grated lemon
- 1 kg all-purpose flour approximately
- 600 g chickpeas weighed raw
- 200 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 glass of rum or creola
- as needed cinnamon powder
- add sugar by tasting the mixture (calories calculated on 100 g of sugar)
- 30 g powdered sugar
Preparation of Baked Cauciunitti
First prepare the filling by soaking the chickpeas the night before for 10-12 hours, then boil them in water without adding anything.
Once cooked, let them cool and put them in the food processor to blend everything, adding cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, and rum.
If the mixture feels too dry, add more rum, if the cocoa seems not to have colored enough (it should be nice and brown) add some more.
Blend until the mixture is homogeneous and especially until the chickpeas are well blended.
If it doesn’t result in a cream, after blending, you can pass it through an immersion blender, and it will be perfect.
Prepare the shortcrust pastry by gradually mixing all ingredients and working everything with a cake mixer, then place the mixture on a work surface and work it for 2-3 minutes, forming it into a ball.
The good thing about this dough is that it can be worked with the pasta machine.
Take the machine and make all the sheets, working it on the second-to-last setting of the machine, but this may vary from machine to machine, so you need to adjust it; it should not be too thin, nor too thick.
Once the sheets are ready, form all the spaced piles of filling on the sheet, then fold it over itself, sealing well and eliminating the air.
Cut into ravioli shapes with a wheel, then seal well with your fingers.
Once all the pastries are made, place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Once cooked and cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
