Note: I was sent a review copy of Domenica Marchetti’s Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories from Every Region in order to write this post for Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo. Opinions are mine alone.
This summer, my husband and I are celebrating our anniversary in style: we are heading to Sicily and Rome! So, when this Italian Cookies (paid link) cookbook showed up on my doorstep, I immediately paged through to the “Cookies of the Islands” chapter to find myself a Sicilian cookie to try. This recipe for Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo (The Leopard’s Rippled Almond Cookies) caught my eye immediately.
This Italian Cookies cookbook is a treasure trove of mouthwatering cookie recipes from all regions of Italy, along with stories and background on the cookies within the cookbook… there are over 100 cookie recipes in this beautiful cookbook, including classics like pizzelle, cuccidati, anisetti, and amaretti.
The cookies I chose to make, Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo, get their name from the novel Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. In the book, the prince of Salina visits a monastery where Benedictine nuns make these tasty almond-based cookies (you can actually still buy them at the convent of Palma di Montechiaro in Sicily).
In this cookbook, Domenica Marchetti adapted the original recipe to use a cookie press (paid link) rather than piping out logs (hence these cookies known as “rippled” almond cookies), which speeds up the process without messing with the flavor!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups superfine almond flour, plus up to 1/2 cup optional almond flour if needed
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
To make your Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper (paid link) or silicone mats (paid link).
Stir together the almond flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, and orange zest in a large bowl.
Add the eggs and almond extract to a separate bowl, whisking to combine.
Make a well in the bowl with the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
Using a wooden spoon, stir together the wet and dry ingredients until you have a stiff and sticky dough. If it doesn’t feel like it is holding its shape enough, add a bit more flour by the tablespoon until you reach the right consistency — you want a dough that will hold its shape during baking, but don’t want it so stiff that you can’t press it through a cookie press. It will be fairly sticky, that’s ok!
Fit a flower disk onto your cookie press (My cookie press came with 3 different flower options. Choose whichever speaks to you.)
Fill the chamber with the dough.
Press five rows with four cookies per row onto one of the prepared baking sheets.
Sprinkle the cookies liberally with sugar, then bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges.
Remove the baking sheet and let cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Gosh I love an almond cookie, and these are no exception! The zest comes through nicely, complimenting the almond flavor.
These cookies are slightly chewy with a bit of a light crunch from the sprinkled sugar.
The Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks, but I doubt they will last that long!
If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to pick up your own copy of Domenica Marchetti’s Italian Cookies cookbook to try even more of her recipes from all over Italy!
Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo (The Leopard's Rippled Almond Cookies)
Ingredients
- 2 cups superfine almond flour plus up to 1/2 cup optional almond flour if needed
- 1 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- To make your Biscotti Ricci Del Gattopardo, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Stir together the almond flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, and orange zest in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs and almond extract to a separate bowl, whisking to combine.
- Make a well in the bowl with the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir together the wet and dry ingredients until you have a stiff and sticky dough. If it doesn’t feel like it is holding its shape enough, add a bit more flour by the tablespoon until you reach the right consistency — you want a dough that will hold its shape during baking, but don’t want it so stiff that you can’t press it through a cookie press. It will be fairly sticky, that’s ok!
- Fit a flower disk onto your cookie press (My cookie press came with 3 different flower options. Choose whichever speaks to you.)
- Fill the chamber with the dough.
- Press five rows with four cookies per row onto one of the prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle the cookies liberally with sugar, then bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges.
- Remove the baking sheet and let cool for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
What do you think?