Name: Cauciuni di Natale (Christmas Chickpea Pastries)
Yield: Makes About 30
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 45 ml/3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 200 g/7 oz/generous 1 cup chopped candied citrus peel; 45 ml/3 tbsp caster/superfine sugar; 30 ml/2 tbsp sweet liqueur of your choice, Amaretto or Maraschino; 1.5 ml/¼ tsp salt; 10 ml/2 tsp vanilla extract; 500 g/1 ¼ lb plain/all-purpose flour, sifted; 45 ml/3 tbsp clear honey; 90 ml/6 tbsp olive oil; 60 ml/4 tbsp dry white wine; sunflower oil, for deep-frying; 500 g/1 ¼ lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained; 7.5 ml/1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 45 ml/3 tbsp icing/confectioners’ sugar

Preparation info

Makes About
30

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Italian Regional Cookbook

By Valentina Harris

Published 2017

About

This Christmas Eve speciality from Molise is from an ancient recipe for little fried pastries with a sweet chocolate and citrus filling, the origin of which is lost in historical rituals. There are two particular Molisan customs connected with making cauciuni. First, the chickpeas are soaked out of doors overnight, preferably on a frosty night. Second, when testing whether or not the oil for frying the pastries is hot enough, it is traditional to make a wish for the coming year while you wa