21 Sicilian Christmas Cookies from Sicily

1

Twice-baked almond cookies with a crisp bite and a little orange zest.

Italian

Almond Cantucci

Twice-baked almond cookies with a crisp bite and a little orange zest.

2

Golden almond biscotti with fragrant orange zest and crisp, diagonally sliced edges.

Italian

Almond Orange Biscotti

Golden almond biscotti with fragrant orange zest and crisp, diagonally sliced edges.

3

Small Palermo-style cocoa and almond cookie domes with a thin dark cocoa-sugar coating, made without pastry scraps or raw-egg icing.

Italian

Sicilian Tetù Cookies

Small Palermo-style cocoa and almond cookie domes with a thin dark cocoa-sugar coating, made without pastry scraps or raw-egg icing.

4

Italian

Almond Knot Cookies

Tender almond-scented dough knots with sliced almonds and a light sugar glaze, an Italian-style home adaptation.

5

Small cutout frollini sandwiches with apricot centers showing through round windows and a fine sugar dusting.

Italian

Apricot Jam Frollini

Small cutout frollini sandwiches with apricot centers showing through round windows and a fine sugar dusting.

6

Lemon-scented Abruzzo-style wafer cookies cooked individually in a patterned ferratelle or pizzelle iron.

Italian

Abruzzo Ferratelle

Lemon-scented Abruzzo-style wafer cookies cooked individually in a patterned ferratelle or pizzelle iron.

7

Neapolitan-style rectangular shortcrust pastries around a cocoa and sour-cherry cake-crumb filling, with a baked white glaze.

Italian

Biscotti all’Amarena

Neapolitan-style rectangular shortcrust pastries around a cocoa and sour-cherry cake-crumb filling, with a baked white glaze.

8

Ridged cocoa-hazelnut kisses joined with a dark-chocolate ganache, inspired by Alassio's pastry tradition.

Italian

Baci di Alassio

Ridged cocoa-hazelnut kisses joined with a dark-chocolate ganache, inspired by Alassio's pastry tradition.

9

Rough-edged hazelnut meringue cookies with a crisp shell and a chewy middle.

Italian

Brutti ma Buoni

Rough-edged hazelnut meringue cookies with a crisp shell and a chewy middle.

10

Nut-dense Sicilian-style sliced almond bars made with egg whites and a little wheat flour, then dried on their cut faces; traditionally a Lenten cookie.

Italian

Sicilian Almond Quaresimali

Nut-dense Sicilian-style sliced almond bars made with egg whites and a little wheat flour, then dried on their cut faces; traditionally a Lenten cookie.

11

Tiny hazelnut butter cookies joined with a neat layer of dark chocolate.

Italian

Baci di Dama

Tiny hazelnut butter cookies joined with a neat layer of dark chocolate.

12

Italian

Anise Chocolate Chip Biscotti

An Italian-style crisp twice-baked cookie with lightly crushed anise seeds and small dark chocolate pockets.

13

Butter-based reginelle-style cookies with a toasted sesame crust.

Italian

Sicilian Sesame Cookies

Butter-based reginelle-style cookies with a toasted sesame crust.

14

Catania-style cinnamon and candied-orange cookies, gently flattened and finished with one whole almond each; an autumn specialty suitable for a winter assortment.

Italian

Sicilian ’Nzuddi

Catania-style cinnamon and candied-orange cookies, gently flattened and finished with one whole almond each; an autumn specialty suitable for a winter assortment.

15