Ricetta di Cantucci al Greco della Nonna Nicoletta
Buongiorno tutti! This is a ricetta that my Nonna Nicoletta taught me when I was a young girl. Cantucci are biscotti made in Italia that consist of very few and very simple ingredienti. The base ricetta is made from flour, egg, sugar, and almond. Some people, including my Nonna Nicoletta, use butter but don’t use too much butter because it makes the cantucci very oily. My Nonna Nicoletta would also put orange zest in the ricetta and make it Cantucci al Greco. She also put in anise but I would advise against it because anise has a very strong flavour, so only put in a very small amount. Since my Nonna gave this ricetta to me, I have revised the ricetta and will give you the revised ricetta.
These Italian Biscotti are a must for sweet enthusiasts!
Ingredienti:
225g Flour 00
80g Sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg white
Around 100g almonds
1 tsp baking powder
~½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 Orange
Some Salt
Ricetta:
First we mix the wet ingredients:
Mix the 2 eggs and the sugar in a bowl
Add the vanilla extract and orange zest
Then we mix the dry ingredients:
Mix the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg, and add a small amount of salt
Mix the dry and wet ingredients together with a spatula and add the almonds.
You can also add other nuts if you want, like pistachio or walnuts
Shape the mixture into 2 roughly equal length logs, and add the egg white on top.
Heat the oven to 175°C, add baking paper, and bake for 35 minutes.
The cantucci should come out soft, because they are not yet done. Let the logs cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. In the meantime, let the oven reach 150°C.
Cut the cantucci into their signature shape, making diagonal slices along the length of the logs.
Put the pieces of cantucci in the oven for 30 minutes at 150°C, allowing them to become crunchy biscuits of joy.
Finally, let the biscuits cool completely.
These beautiful biscotti can be enjoyed dipped in wine or coffee, or on their own. To store cantucci, keep them in a sealed container. Since they are dry biscotti, they last for a very long time, but that won’t matter because they are irresistible.
I hope you enjoyed my Nonna Nicoletta’s Ricetta per Cantucci al Greco!
~ Sam
