Cantuccini (or cantucci / biscotti) are a twice-baked Italian biscuit that are crunchily delicious and the perfect accompaniment to a deep dark shot of espresso (sans sugar). You could of course dunk them into tea – but it is hardly the same thing. Vin Santo is also a good alcoholic dipping option – but more so if you make the almond version of cantuccini (just substitute the pistachio/chocolate below with approximately 300g almonds, and leave out the vanilla).
Cantuccini di Cioccolato e Pistacchio
300g caster sugar
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
500g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
200g shelled pistachios
200g dark chocolate buttons
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Beat the eggs and caster sugar in a mixer until thick and creamy, approx 2 minutes.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, nuts and chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined and a soft dough has formed. Place onto an extremely well floured surface and roll into thickish sausages, as long as your baking tray and approx 5cm wide. Place the sausage on a baking paper lined tray and flatten to about 2cm high. Leave lots of room for spreading – perhaps allowing only two sausages per tray.
Bake for fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven and cut each biscuit into 1.5cm wide strips. Lay them back flat on the tray, and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes. The purpose is to dry them out, yet not overcook them. Check their bottoms to ensure they’re not getting too golden.
Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.
Makes approx 3 to 4 dozen, depending on how thick you cut them.
Gorgeous photographs, gorgeous KitchenAid, gorgeous lookin cantucci – egads, this entire post is making me wish I were in your kitchen!
Thanks for that Ellie! I must confess that the baby pink kitchenaid isn’t mine though *sigh*. It belongs to a friend I was housesitting for – and I always have my wicked way with it whenever I am over at her place!
*another big sigh* …one day I will have my own kitchenaid!
Oh, you had me at pistachio! Love the biscotti, cafe latte is my dunking source of choice.
I was coveting the mix-master, too!
I’ve really got into pistachios since attempting some Indian desserts… I wonder how these would go with a bit of cardamom, teamed with a chai latte?
(I hope no-one’s Italian grandmother reads this, what heresy!)
Heya Haalo – well, my Italian sensibilities brook no arguement with cafe latte as a dunking source of choice
I can’t resist the biscotti and latte combination (well honestly, I just can’t resist biscotti!)
Cindy – oooooh, I think you’re on a winner there! I do have a recipe somewhere for a pistachio cardamon biscuit that is absolute dynamite. I’ll rustle it up and blog it soon.
there are a lot of other desert recepies with pistachio, The goog thing about this nut, is apart from its lovely taste and health benefit, it has that beautiful green color wich makes it a wonderful garnish.
Hey there Tummy – you are completely right. Pistachios rock!
Hi again Mellie,
I trialled my idea for Indian-inspired biscotti (blogged here). I was quite pleased with the results. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey there Cindy! All I can say is YUUUUUUM! What a great twist! I’ll have to do some further experimentation myself. I have a bottle of orange blossom water just crying out to be used. Hmm. Thinking cap is one and I throw down the gauntlet for another challenge