Pasticcini | Foodfulife

These Sicilian biscuits (or small pastries) are gluten-free, dairy-free, delicious and very easy to prepare! It is better to use a piping bag to shape the biscuits, but if you don’t have one, you can roll out the dough with your hands to make small balls and then press them with your fingers, to obtain a cookie-like shape.

The dough needs, at least, 30 minutes of resting time, however they will taste even better if you leave them to rest in the fridge overnight. Traditionally, we garnish these biscuits with candied cherries or almonds, so if you want you can use both. Here I prepared some of these delicious pastries with my mother, I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Biscuits with almonds and candied cherries.

Preparation and cooking time: 25 minutes + resting time

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For two oven trays

3 egg whites

80 g sugar

200 g almonds, shelled and finely chopped

candied cherries

a few drops of almond flavouring, or some orange zest (optional)

Method.

1. Grind the almonds with the sugar, using a food processor.

2. Combine the egg whites with the almond mixture and the flavourings, then put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3. Using a piping bag, shape the biscuits and then garnish with candied cherries.

4. Bake at 180 ° C (356° F) until golden.

Dolcetti alle mandorle con ciliegie candite.

Preparazione e cottura: 25 minutes + il riposo

Difficoltà : Facile

Ingredienti

Per 2 teglie rettangolari di media grandezza.

3 chiari d’uova

80 g di zucchero

200 g di mandorle sgusciate e tritate finemente

ciliegie candite q. b.

1 qualche goccia di aroma di mandorle, oppure una scorretta di arancia tritata (facoltativo)

Preparazione.

1. Tritate finemente le mandorle con lo zucchero.

2. Mescolate i chiari d’uova con le mandorle tritate, lo zucchero e gli aromi. Mettete il composto a riposare in frigorifero per almeno 30 minuti.

3. Usando il sac à poche, date la forma ai pasticcini (oppure formate delle palline e schiacciatele leggermente con le dita).

4. Guarnite i pasticcini con le ciliegie candite, poi infornate a 180° C fino ad ottenere dei dolcetti dorati.

Baci di Dama cookies.

Baci di Dama are delightful Piedmontese cookies, traditionally prepared with plain flour, hazelnuts, almonds and dark chocolate. These wonderful cookies are among my favorites, as a child I just couldn’t get enough! I’m going to prepare my Baci di Dama with brown sugar and wholemeal flour, using the fresh butter I made in the previous recipe. These ingredients have a rich nutty flavour, which blends perfectly with hazelnuts and honey. You can enjoy these mouth-watering Baci di Dama at any time to make your day a little special.

Wholemeal Baci di Dama cookies

For approximately 40 cookies

150 g (5.2 oz) toasted and skinned hazelnuts

65 g (2.2 oz) wholemeal flour

65 g (2.2 oz) rice flour

100 g (3.5 oz) softened butter

60 g (2.1 oz) brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey (I used acacia honey, but normal honey is fine)

a pinch of salt

50 g (1.7 oz) dark chocolate (70 % cocoa)

Method.

1. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 160 ° C (325 °F) for about 7 minutes. When the hazelnuts have cooled, gently rub the skins off with a cloth.

2. Grind the hazelnuts with a food processor. Then, mix the hazelnuts with the flour, sugar, honey and butter.

3. Work the mixture until you get a soft and smooth dough. Place the dough in a sealed container and let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Take the dough out of the fridge and shape into small balls (approximately 2-3 cm). Place the balls on a greased baking tray and press them slightly with your fingers in order to obtain an half sphere shape.

5. Bake in the oven at 150 ° (300 ° F) for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When the cookies are ready and have slightly cooled, sandwich them together by putting some chocolate on the flat side. Serve the Baci di Dama with a nice cup of tea and enjoy!

Baci di Dama con farina integrale.

per approssimativamente 40 pasticcini

150 g di nocciole tostate e pulite

65 g di farina integrale

65 g di farina di riso

100 g di burro morbido

60 g di zucchero di canna

2 cucchiai di miele (ho usato il miele d’acacia, ma vanno bene anche altri tipi)

un pizzico di sale

50 g di buon cioccolato fondente

Preparazione.

1. Fate tostare le nocciole in forno a 160° per 7 minuti. Strofinate con un canovaccio le nocciole per togliere la buccia.

2. Tritate finemente con il tritatutto. Unite le nocciole alla farina, allo zucchero, al miele e al burro, mescolando bene fino ad ottenere un impasto morbido e omogeneo.

3. Mettete l’impasto in un contenitore e riponetelo nel frigorifero a rassodare per circa 30 minuti.

4. Togliete l’impasto dal frigo e formate delle palline di approssimativamente 2-3 cm di diametro. Mettete le palline su una teglia imburrata e pressatele leggermente con le dita per creare delle mezze sfere.

5. Infornate a 150° per 10-15 minuti. Fate fondere il cioccolato a bagnomaria, poi prendete i biscotti (dopo averli fatti raffreddare) e uniteli a due a due, spalmando un po’ di cioccolato sulla parte piatta. Servite con una buona tazza di tè.