Traditional Castagnelle Puglian sweets for the Christmas period are made without eggs or butter, only with flour, almonds, sugar, cocoa, and flavored with cinnamon and orange peel.
Originally from Bari, Castagnelle Puglian sweets, known in the dialect as ‘Castagnedde’, are considered humble sweets of rural tradition, a culinary treasure passed down through generations with variations.
There are recipes that use almonds with the skin; I preferred peeled almonds. In some recipes, cloves are used instead of cinnamon.
The basic ingredients are flour and almonds, which give these sweets flavor and crunchiness, perfectly spiced, creating a symphony of flavors.
In the original recipe, they are enjoyed plain; I preferred to add a white note with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Although I am Calabrian, I am attracted to the traditions of other regions, so I wanted to enjoy this delicious recipe, but I don’t want to overlook our traditional sweets, so I leave you with some Calabrian Christmas sweet recipes.
- Portions: 25
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 7 oz of blanched almonds
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 2.8 oz of dark chocolate
- 1.1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1/4 cup of espresso coffee
- 1/3 cup of water
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 1 organic orange
- as needed of powdered sugar
Tools
- Mixer
Steps
Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 392°F for 15 minutes to toast them, making sure to stir occasionally for even and light browning.
After roasting, transfer them to a mixer and chop them coarsely.
You can proceed with the preparation by placing the flour in a bowl and adding sugar and the teaspoon of baking soda.
Continue by adding the cocoa and cinnamon, and mix the ingredients.
Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave and prepare the coffee.
I made it with an espresso machine, but you can use a moka pot or instant coffee diluted in 1/4 cup of water.
Grate the peel of the organic orange into the mixed ingredients, then add the melted chocolate and coffee, and give these ingredients a first stir.
Add the chopped almonds and the 1/3 cup of water, and mix.
You will get a compact and sticky dough.
Take a bit of dough and shape it into a cylinder using a little flour.
Press the cylinder with your fingers to a width of about 1.5 inches.
Cut the sweets diagonally.
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 356°F for 15-20 minutes.
Once cooled, transfer them to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.
The Castagnelle Puglian sweets will brighten up your festive table! With every bite, you’ll taste the crunch of the nuts, the aroma of cinnamon and orange—a unique and irresistible flavor!
