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You are here: Home / Recipes / Baking / CANTUCCI

CANTUCCI

February 25, 2012 By Manu 29 Comments

Cantucci

For today’s Regional Italian recipe, I want to take you back to Tuscany.  After sharing two savoury dishes (Pollo alla Cacciatora and Tuscan Cabbage Soup) from this beautiful region, today I want to show you how to make Cantucci, also known as Biscotti di Prato (cookies from the town of Prato).  The term biscotto (biscotti is the plural), literally means “twice cooked/baked” and it refers to the fact that these cookies are baked twice, as you will see in the recipe below.  However, nowadays biscotto means “cookie” in Italian, any cookie even the ones that are not cooked twice are biscotti!  The only real biscotti as in “cooked twice cookies” are what we call Cantucci!  Easy right?? 😉  Anyhow, whatever their name is these cookies are delicious.  They are among my all time favourite, as I am a big fan of crunchy cookies.  They are full of almonds and they are usually eaten with a sweet wine called Vin Santo, in the sense that you are supposed to actually dip them in the wine!  They soak up the sweet wine and become softer… mmmm delicious!  If you cannot find Vin Santo, a Muscat will work fine too.  Try them after dinner and let me know!!  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
500 gms – 2 cups flour
300 gms – 10.5 oz. sugar
150 gms – 5.25 oz. butter, melted
300 gms – 10.5 oz. almonds, with the skin on
3 eggs + 1 egg for brushing
1 sachet vanillina or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder

Start by toasting the almonds.  Put them on a baking sheet and bake them in a pre heated oven at 190°C – 375°F for 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool down.

Put the 3 eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (1).  Whisk well until pale and fluffy (2).  Add the melted butter and stir (3-4).  Mix the baking powder in the flour and sift it into the egg mixture (5).  Whisk well until incorporated (6).  Now add the vanillina/vanilla extract and toasted almonds (7).  Transfer the dough on a floured surface and knead for a minute to make it into a ball (8).

Now divide the dough in 2 balls (or 3 for smaller Cantucci) and roll them into two 30 cm – 12 inch long strips.  They have to be thin (approximately 3 cm – 1.2 inches) as they will expand while cooking.  Put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush them with the remaining beaten egg (you may do this with milk or with a mix of egg and milk).

Bake them in a pre heated oven at 190°C – 375°F for about 20 minutes.  Now remove them from the oven and let them cool down for a few minutes.  Slice them diagonally with a sharp knife.  You need to obtain cookies that are 1 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 inches) thick.

Put the cookies back onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake them in a pre heated oven at 170°C – 340°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.

When ready, let the Cantucci cool down completely.

Cantucci

Serve them with some sweet wine like Vin Santo or Muscat.

Cantucci

Cantucci

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Related Posts:

  • Almond Shortbread Cookies
  • Panforte di Siena
  • CANESTRELLI
  • Gelato al Puffo
  • Biscotti della Tresca

Filed Under: Baking, Breakfast, Cookies, Desserts, Italian, Regional Italian Dishes, Snack, Tea Time Tagged With: after dinner, almond, almonds, biscotti, cantucci, cookies, Italian, Italy, Muscat, Regional Italian Dishes, sweets, vanilla

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Comments

  1. Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb says

    February 26, 2012 at 1:21 am

    The meaning of biscoti realy got confused over time. I hadnt known that. I am a biscotti fan, by the way. 😉

    Fantastic shots! realy looks great.

    thx for sharing and I wish u a nice weekend. =)

    Reply
  2. Mary Ellen @ Pâte à Chew says

    February 26, 2012 at 1:21 am

    Lovely! Biscotti (really, cantucci, as you point out) are one of my favorite desserts ever. I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year and I’ve already posted three types of biscotti 🙂 The simple but delicious almond variety are one of my favorites!

    Reply
  3. Joan Nova says

    February 26, 2012 at 1:25 am

    ah…cantucci dunked in vin santo is my favorite way to end a meal in Tuscany.

    Reply
  4. mjskit says

    February 26, 2012 at 4:05 am

    Now you are definitely a woman after my heart! I love dipping biscotti’s in sweet wine!!!! AND almond biscottis are my favorite! So do you thing I’m sitting here drooling right now? 🙂 Bookmarked!

    Reply
  5. Hotly Spiced says

    February 26, 2012 at 8:33 am

    I love biscoti. Yours looks great. It’s such a lovely treat to have after an Italian dinner.

    Reply
  6. Rachael says

    February 26, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    Yet another of your recipes bookmarked! Thanks so much for sharing this one – I have been looking for a cantucci recipe for ages and now I have the perfect excuse to send hubby to the Italian specialty store for Vin Santo! 🙂

    Your blog is simply wonderful – great pictures, clear instructions, inspiring recipes.

    Reply
  7. Tessa says

    February 27, 2012 at 4:46 am

    Beautiful biscotti. You make it look so easy!

    Reply
  8. Eva kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com says

    February 27, 2012 at 8:40 am

    I love it that you paired it with Vin Santo instead of an espresso. What a wonderful little cookie. Our neighbour gives us two kinds of Cantucci every year for Christmas. I just love it.

    Reply
  9. Joshua says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:51 am

    I had lost my Abruzzo version of cantuccini and am stuck with at kilo of almonds in search of a recipe and then foodblogs pointed this out. Looks like about what I had been told by an expert. Thanks. Beautiful photos.
    j

    Reply
  10. PolaM says

    February 27, 2012 at 11:19 am

    Cantucci e vin santo sono uno dei mie dessert preferiti! I have to learn how to make these!

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    February 27, 2012 at 12:31 pm

    Beautifully done! What a wonderful way to end a meal…a wine soaked biscotto!

    Reply
  12. Kiri W. says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    Looks yummy! I didn’t know of these, thanks for the introduction 🙂

    Reply
  13. Asiya says

    February 27, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    My husband love biscotti.I know he would love this. I had one questions…what is the difference between Vanillina and Vanilla Extract? I have seen Vanillina in the grocery store but everything on the packet is written in Italian 🙂

    Reply
    • Manu says

      February 28, 2012 at 2:59 pm

      Hi Asiya! Vanillina is a powder that tastes like vanilla (so I guess the fact that it is a powder that looks like icing sugar is the main difference)… but you don’t really have to buy it to make these… vanilla extract works just as well!! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Anna @ the shady pine says

    February 27, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    These are such a joy to make and I keep coming back to almond biscotti even though I’ve tried making other variations. With such simple ingredients you always get such a lovely crunchy biscotti perfect with coffee. Thanks for the reminder…I will need to make a batch again soon.

    Reply
  15. Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    Gorgeous little cookies, Manu. I love how stuffed full of almonds they are – and wonderful photos! Now I know my biscotti from my cantucci 🙂

    Reply
  16. Purabi Naha says

    February 28, 2012 at 1:42 am

    You did it again! Congratulations on being at Top 9 today. Scrumptious recipe with gorgeous picture…. Bookmarked!

    Reply
  17. [email protected] says

    February 28, 2012 at 2:45 am

    I love biscotti with coffee hehe or am I weird I like it with Ice-cream too hehe 🙂 but then i guess I like everything with ice-cream ~ I didn’t know there was another name for biscotti 😀 Thanks for sharing and congrats for making Top 9 on Foodbuzz!

    Reply
  18. Allen says

    February 28, 2012 at 9:37 am

    Thank you for this Cantucci recipe. I can’t wait to make it.
    Allen.

    Reply
  19. Nuts about food says

    February 28, 2012 at 11:29 pm

    Thank you for clarifying, it drives me nuts when I hear biscotti (and panini) used in the singular… I know it is not a fault, God only knows what I pronounces wrong in a foreign language, but it just annoys me. So let’s spread the word. I just got back from Tuscany, so it is nice to see these as a reminder. Great job.

    Reply
  20. Marsha @ The Harried Cook says

    February 28, 2012 at 11:57 pm

    Interesting! 🙂 I love biscotti and I love this recipe with the chunky almonds and I am sure it will be a hit in my house! Thanks for sharing this recipe, Manu! 🙂 I have a giveaway going on… Hope you’ll enter! 🙂

    Reply
  21. Daily Deal says

    February 29, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    I really enjoyed these cookies. This was my second attempt at biscotti and they turned out so good even my son liked them.

    Reply
  22. Mi Vida en un Dulce says

    March 1, 2012 at 6:03 am

    This may be one of my favorites, I like biscotti so much…and if it has almonds…better than ever…!!!

    Reply
  23. Lee Fry says

    March 10, 2012 at 2:35 am

    Made these today – delicious. One thing, it wasn’t obvious after the first cook what consistency they should have, mine were a little soggy in the middle but then crispened up on the second bake. I think maybe they needed an extra 5 minutes. Also the recipe forgets to explain when to add the vanilla so I added it when I added the almonds.

    Delicious biscuits though!

    Reply
    • Manu says

      March 10, 2012 at 7:00 am

      Hi Lee! You are right!!! Had not noticed that! I added the vanilla bit… it goes in with the almonds, so you guessed right! :-))) THANKS for letting me know! :-)))
      It is ok if they were a bit soggy after the first cook. They are meant to be like that… it makes it easier to cut them. If they were more cooked, they may crumble. I have seen yours and they look spot on! I am very happy you liked them! 🙂

      Reply
  24. Steve says

    March 20, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Tried to make with gluten-free flour. Didn’t work. Be warned those who might try this at home too. 🙁

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Cantuccini con vin santo | Eat Florentine says:
    November 7, 2014 at 11:25 am

    […] credits: Manu’s Menu, Italian […]

    Reply
  2. Spiced Butterscotch & Black Walnut Banana Bread | Veronica's Cornucopia says:
    November 17, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    […] food. She has recipes for many things on my 40 by 40 list, like Lamingtons, croissants, biscotti/Cantucci, & risotto. And what did I do? I’m so predictable. I went for the banana bread because as […]

    Reply
  3. SRC: Cantucci (Almond Biscotti) | The Pajama Chef says:
    September 21, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    […] from Manu’s Menu […]

    Reply

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Hi! I am Manu, the author of Manu's Menu. I was born and brought up in Italy and my blog can show you how to create authentic Italian food in your own home! Read More…

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