Abruzzo sfogliatelle are typical desserts from the Abruzzo region made during the Christmas season. At first glance, you might think of Neapolitan sfogliatelle, but these ones I’m presenting today are different both in the ingredients used for the pastry and the filling.
They are flaky pastries filled with grape jam, chocolate, almonds, and, if you like, a bit of liqueur. In my Province, some traditional Christmas desserts are made with grape jam. This may seem not sweet enough, and indeed many make sfogliatelle with a mix of jams: grape jam combined with sour cherry and apple jams to make the filling sweeter.
The process will take some of your time and patience, but I assure you it’s worth it! If you’ve never tried them, this is the perfect opportunity to make up for it. They are very cute to look at and also perfect as a gift idea.
For more Christmas desserts, see the collection: Regional Christmas Desserts
- Difficulty: Hard
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 35 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
Ingredients
- 4 cups Flour
- 4.5 oz Lard (or 1/2 cup sunflower oil)
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1 glass White wine
- as needed Lard (or sunflower oil)
- 1 1/4 cups Grape jam
- 1.75 oz Dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup Toasted almonds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- Dessert liqueur (to taste)
Tools
- Pasta machine
Preparation
To make Abruzzo sfogliatelle, place the flour on a workbench and make a well. Add whole eggs and the two yolks. Add room temperature lard, white wine, and sugar.
Mix the ingredients and knead well until you get a soft, smooth, and compact dough that does not stick to your hands. If it does, knead more, adding extra flour. Place in a bowl covered with a cloth and let it rest for half an hour.
At this point, divide the dough into 5-6 equal parts. You’ll need to work with a pasta machine until you obtain very thin sheets of dough.
Once the first four sheets are ready, melt some lard in a saucepan and brush it over the surface of the first sheet with a brush.
Place another sheet on top, making sure no bubbles form. Continue this way with the other three sheets. Each surface of each sheet must be brushed with lard, forming a stack of four sheets.
Roll up the sheets, pressing the dough tightly, making sure not to leave any empty spaces. Continue this way with all the dough, and once the rolls are formed, place them in the fridge for an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: in a bowl, combine grape jam, dark chocolate chunks or pieces, chopped almonds, cinnamon, and liqueur. To make the filling tastier, you can use a mix of jams, adding sour cherry and apple jam to the grape one.
Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and cut them into slices about half a centimeter thick. Lightly flatten each disc with a rolling pin, they should not be too thin.
Place the discs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper: place on the parchment paper the side that was rolled out with the rolling pin. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each. Close each sfogliatella into a shell shape, sealing the edges without pressing on the dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
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