The chestnut cookies are typical delicious Apulian sweets, very simple to prepare. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a fantastic aroma. At Christmas, they are part of the traditional desserts that cannot be missing from Apulian tables. The ingredients are almonds, cocoa, aromas, flour, and sugar. However, for this recipe, each family prepares them following their own traditions, for example, some add water, others add coffee, some choose particular aromas, and they can be smaller or larger. The most beautiful thing is that everyone remembers their family and childhood when preparing them. That said, I leave you to my recipe!!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 15 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups almonds
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 grated orange zest
- 6 tbsp water (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch baking ammonia
- lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- crushed cloves
Tools
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Steps
First, peel (if you prefer you can leave them unpeeled) and toast the almonds. You can do this in the oven or in a pan as I did. Once they start to turn golden, turn off the heat. It will take about 10-15 minutes. Then let them cool.
Meanwhile, in a container, prepare the flour, sugar, cocoa, ammonia, cinnamon, and orange zest.
Take the almonds and chop them coarsely with a knife, then add them to the rest of the mixture.
Mix and add the water.
The dough will be easy to work with and not sticky.
Form a sausage shape, then flatten it slightly. At this point, you can cut the cookies into the classic diamond shape.
If it sticks a bit, help yourself with some flour.
Cut pieces about 1 1/4 inches wide. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 340°F for 15 minutes in a preheated static oven.
The chestnut cookies are ready!!
Tip
You can store the chestnut cookies for over a week in a closed container. For the aromas, you can omit any you don’t like and substitute them with something else like cloves or lemon. Let them cool well before eating.
