cantucci

You’ve probably eaten cantucci before but you likely called it by a different name. Typically, in the US we see these cookies labelled biscotti, which is what they were called back in the Roman times. The Romans made biscotti (meaning “twice-cooked”) to be eaten as a convenient and durable snack for travelers. They were first baked in order to cook the dough, and then a second time in order to dry them out for long journeys.

After the fall of the Roman empire, these cookies were not made for centuries until they made a comeback in Tuscany around the Renaissance period. While biscotti can be any kind of twice-baked cookie, cantucci specifically gets it flavor from almonds. It is composed exclusively of flour, eggs, sugar and almonds, without any yeast or fat.

Traditionally, cantucci is served at the end of a meal with vin santo, a sweet Tuscan dessert wine. While many Italians would not approve of me saying this, you can also dip these cookies into tea or coffee.

The advantage to making these at home is you can determine the hardness of the cookies based on your preferences. They’re also made from kitchen staples, are simple to make and last for weeks so there is not much of a reason not to buy them in the store.

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup whole almonds, skins on
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

In medium mixing bowl, blend egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, honey and salt. When everything is well-blended, add the almond pieces. Blend well.
In a separate bowl add flour, baking powder and orange zest.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
Place on a working surface, form into 2in thick logs and place onto baking trays lined with wax paper. I recommend wetting your hands, it’ll make it easier to shape the dough. Allow the logs to rest for 30-40 minutes before putting into the oven.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the logs in the oven for approximately 25 minutes.
Once you remove the logs from the oven, allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Cut the log diagonally into 1/2 in slices.
Put the pieces back onto the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes.
Store in an air tight container for up to three weeks.