In Siena there is no Christmas without cavallucci! An ideal recipe for Christmas holidays to be enjoyed with family or friends, accompanied by a glass of vinsanto.
The Cavallucci are typical Sienese biscuits made with a very thick dough flavored with spices and enriched with nuts. Here is the recipe for these small “ugly but good” cookies.
Ingredients
- 650g of 00 flour
- 350g of sugar
- 180 ml of water
- 100g of walnut kernels
- 80 g of candied fruit
- 30g of icing sugar
- a spoonful of baking soda
- a tablespoon of cinnamon powder
- nutmeg to taste
- aniseed to taste
- pepper to taste
In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar with the water until it is thick. Then let it cool.
Put in a large bowl: chopped walnuts, candied fruit, spices and baking soda. Mix all the ingredients and add the flour a little at a time. At this point, add the syrup prepared previously and mix well.
Knead the dough well (it will be a little sticky) and form balls with a diameter of 4/5 centimeters.
Lightly crush the balls with the fingertips (cavallucci must have an irregular shape) and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, let them cool.
Read also the Cantucci Recipe
Photo by: Lorenzo Vinci