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Cantucci, Cantuccini
Tuscan Almond Biscuits
Appears in
By Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio
Published 1997
In Tuscany, it is common to finish a meal with these biscuits, dipped in a glass of the strong wine, Vin Santo. It is such a pleasurable way of finishing a meal, that the custom has spread all over Italy, as well as to other countries. The biscuits come from Prato in Tuscany and so they are also known as cantucci di prato.
To make them: beat 300 g (10½ oz) caster sugar with 3 eggs and 3 egg yolks until you have a well-amalgamated foam. Add 500 g (1 lb 1½ oz) 00 flour, 200 g (7 oz) lightly toasted unpeeled almonds, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon orange essence and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or baking powder. Mix gently until you have a soft dough. Divide into longish sausages and place on a buttered baking tray, pressing each one until it is flattened to about 2 cm (¾ inch) high and 4 cm (1½ inch) wide. Make sure the dough sausages are far enough apart to give them room to rise as they bake. Brush each one with a little beaten egg and bake in an oven preheated to 190°C/375°F/gas 5 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut each biscuit diagonally into 2 cm (¾ inch) wide strips and return to the oven until completely cooked and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, before storing in an airtight jar or tin until needed.