Top 3 recipes for homemade Italian Cantucci cookies

Cantucci are famous dry cookies from Italy. They are very tender, crumbly, and incredibly tasty and aromatic. Traditionally, these pastries are made with almonds. However, modern pastry chefs add walnuts, chocolate, hazelnuts, dried fruits, and other ingredients.

In this article, I'll share tried-and-true recipes for the popular Italian cantucci cookies, and explain how they differ from biscotti. Try making this luxurious dessert at home. You'll be delighted with the results.

Walnut Cantuccini Recipe

This is another wonderful recipe for Italian cantuccini. Unlike the classic version, however, it's made with walnuts and raisins instead of almonds. These cookies are incredibly aromatic and delicious. They have a crispy yet very tender texture.

Ingredients

• Flour - 300 g
• Butter (frozen) - 100 g
• Baking powder - 10 g
• Eggs C1 - 2 pcs.
• Sugar - 100 g
• Walnuts - 100 g
• Raisins - 50-100 g
• Lemon zest - 1-2 tsp.
• Vanilla sugar - 1 tsp.

Cooking time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients.

Step 2

Sift the flour through a sieve and pour it into a deep bowl. Add the sugar, baking powder, and vanilla sugar and mix gently.

Step 3

Grate the frozen butter on a coarse grater and pour it into the dry ingredients.

Step 4

Lightly mix the ingredients until you get fine crumbs.

Step 5

Break the eggs into a separate bowl, add the lemon zest and mix until smooth.

Step 6

Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture and knead the dough.

Step 7

Finely chop the nuts. Steam the raisins, then drain and dry.

Step 8

Add the nuts and raisins to the dough and mix thoroughly. They should be evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Step 9

We form a loaf from the dough and place it on a pre-prepared baking sheet.

Step 10

Bake the loaf at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Step 11

Let the loaf cool slightly, then cut it into 1.5 cm thick slices.

Step 12

Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Step 13

Once the cantuccine has cooled completely, it can be served.

Biscotti and cantucci – what’s the difference?

Biscotti and cantucci are popular types of Italian cookies. Many people mistakenly believe they are the same dessert. But that's not entirely true. What's the difference between biscotti and cantucci? Let's find out.

Story

Biscotti are Italian dry cookies with an oblong, curved shape. There are indications that they originated over 2,000 years ago. Even the ancient Romans took these baked goods with them on long military campaigns, as they retained their freshness for a long time. The famous explorer Christopher Columbus also stocked up on delicious biscotti before his expeditions.

Cantucci cookies didn't appear until the 19th century. They were invented by the Tuscan pastry chef Antonio Mattei. In terms of preparation method and shape, the dessert was very similar to biscotti. However, it added one special ingredient: almonds, which weren't included in the biscotti recipe.

Ingredients

Classic biscotti are made with just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs. Antonio Mattei, however, added butter to his cantuccia recipe, in addition to almonds. This ingredient gives the pastry its exceptional tenderness. Modern pastry chefs add not only almonds but also other nuts, dried fruits, and chocolate.

Innings

Since biscotti and cantuccini are quite dry, they are always paired with various beverages. They are served as a dessert, along with a sweet wine, a cup of espresso, cappuccino, or hot chocolate. Dipping the cookies in the beverage makes them softer and more tender.

To summarize, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• Cantucci are a subtype of biscotti.
• These two types of baked goods differ only in their composition.
• The properties, form and subtleties of serving both desserts are the same.

Video: A Simple Cantuccini Recipe from an Italian Chef

Want to treat your family to some delicious cantucci cookies? Can't find the perfect recipe for this Italian pastry? I offer a simple recipe for traditional cantucci from an Italian chef. The video's creator demonstrates and explains each step in detail, and also shares the best drinks to pair this dessert with. After watching this video, you'll be making perfect cantucci at home with ease.