Calzoncelli are typical chocolate and almond Christmas cookies from the South of Italy. Tiny and chubby, they look like small Christmas parcels!
Course Cookies
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Resting time 1 hourhour
Total Time 2 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 0a ton!
Author Giulia
Ingredients
For the dough
600grams(4 ¾cups)all-purpose flour
¼teaspoonfine sea salt
100grams(½cups)sugar
2eggs, lightly beaten
100ml(½cups)extra virgin olive oil
200ml(¾cups)dry white wine
For the filling
400grams(¾lb)almonds, peeled and toasted
250grams(1 ¼cups)sugar
Grated zest of one organic lemon
200grams(7oz)dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Make the calzoncelli outer shell
Pour the flour on a wooden working surface and shape it into a mound with a large well in the centre. Add the eggs, the sugar, and the salt, then pour in the olive oil. Using a fork, stir slowly, starting from the centre of the eggs and gradually picking up more flour from the edges, whisking as if you are beating eggs for an omelette. Gradually add the wine, too.
When the dough turns crumbly, switch to kneading with your hands.
Continue kneading the ball of dough until smooth, silky, and no longer sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature before using.
Make the filling
Collect all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you get a smooth paste.
Roll the filling into 1 cm thick logs, then cut them into 1 ½ cm pieces.
Make the calzoncelli
Roll out the dough into long, thin sheets, working in batches as needed. You can use a classic rolling pin on a flat working surface or a pasta machine. Either way, the most important thing is to keep rolling and flipping and rolling and flipping until the dough is paper-thin.
Cut long 4cm wide sheets of dough.
Place the filling pieces on the paper-thin dough, at 2 cm distance one from the other, then wrap the dough around the filling, press it gently to seal it, then cut it with a fluted pasta cutter wheel in between the filling. The small calzoncello will look like a tiny raviolo.
Arrange the calzoncelli on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F.
Transfer the calzoncelli into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.
Remove from the oven and let them cook down completely.
You can keep them for weeks in a tin box or in airtight container.
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