The ultimate Cantucci recipe

The ultimate Cantucci recipe

There's nothing quite like a little sweet treat after a meal, or perhaps with a delicious espresso in the mid-morning sunshine. And while we love a decadent tiramisu for dessert, sometimes life just calls for something a little more simple. Cantucci originated in the Tuscan city of Prato. They are twice-baked and traditionally dipped in a drink such as espresso or an indulgent post-dinner digestivo such as Vin Santo.

The Pasta Poetry team are loving these crunchy and sweet honeyed walnut cantucci, featured on Gourmet Traveller.

INGREDIENTS

100g walnuts
130g honey
100g butter, softened
100g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling
2 eggs
2 tbsp orange juice
1 orange, finely grated rind only
350g (2 1/3 cups) plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 170C. Dry-roast walnuts in a small frying pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant (1-2 minutes), add 80g honey and cook until caramelised (4-5 minutes). Spoon onto a lightly oiled oven tray and cool completely, then break into small pieces.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and remaining honey until pale and fluffy, add eggs, orange juice and rind and beat to combine. Stir in flour and baking powder, add honeyed walnuts and mix to combine. Divide mixture in half and, on a heavily sugared surface, roll each half into a 30cm-long log. Place each log on a baking paper-lined oven tray and bake until golden (20-25 minutes), remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  3. Thinly slice logs and arrange slices on baking paper-lined oven trays and return to oven. Bake until light golden (8-10 minutes), turn and bake for another 8-10 minutes until crisp and dry, then cool on a wire rack. Cantucci will keep for up to 1 month stored in an airtight container.

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