Neapolitan Roccocò
Yields 24 cookies
In Naples and the surrounding area, roccocò are traditionally baked and eaten on December 8 (feast of the immaculate conception) as part of the Christmas holiday season. They are hard and dry, intended to be dipped into liqueur at the end of the meal. The pisto is a Neapolitan spice blend used in numerous traditional cookies such as mostaccioli. The recipe below makes enough for one batch of roccocò, but you could easily double or triple it so that you have it ready for other recipes.
Ingredients
For the Pisto Spice Mix
12 g cinnamon
2 g black peppercorns
3 g nutmeg
1 g cloves
1 g star anise
1 g coriander seeds
1 packet Paneangeli (vanilla powder)*
Procedure
Pulverize the spices (except the vanilla) in a spice grinder. Add the vanilla powder to the spice mix and set aside.
For the Dough
350 g whole almonds (save some for garnish as well)
500 g cake flour
200 g granulated sugar
2 tsp ammonium bicarbonate**
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1 TB finely chopped candied orange zest
20 g pisto (see above)
Pinch of fine sea salt
75 g honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Toast the almonds on a baking sheet until fragrant, approximately 8-10 minutes. Do not let them burn. Reserve 24 almonds for the décor, then cut them in half vertically so you have 48 total almond pieces.
Let the almonds cool, then process the remaining almonds (not the 48 pieces) in a food processor until finely ground.
Combine the ground almonds, cake flour, sugar, ammonium bicarbonate, pisto mix, salt, lemon and orange zests, and candied orange zest in food processor. Add the honey and one beaten egg. Pulse until just combined. The dough will be firm but make sure it is homogenous.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with a bit of milk or water to make the egg wash, and set aside.
Divide the dough into 24 balls. Roll the balls into ropes of approximately 3/4-inch diameter, and then join their ends to form rings — the rings should be about 3 inches in diameter. Place the rings on baking sheets lined with paper or silpat mats, about 1 inch or so apart.
Gently press the reserved almond halves into the cookies (2 or so per cookie), then brush the rings with the egg wash.
Bake the cookies until golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. The cookies will harden as they cool.
Chef’s Notes
A note on almonds: You can (and some folks prefer to) use blanched, skinless almonds. I like the darker, more rustic look of the unskinned almonds. Also, they are usually what I have on hand!
*If you cannot find Paneangeli vanilla powder (it's often sold in Italian markets/stores, but is also available online), substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract and add it to the dough with the beaten egg and honey.
**Ammonium bicarbonate is also known as baker’s ammonia. It’s often used in Italian cookies with a crisp and dry texture. Note that it does have a strong ammonia odor, but don’t worry. This will dissipate when the cookies are baked. If you cannot find it (you can order online from baking supply companies) or dislike the odor, substitute an equal amount of baking powder.
