Soft Catania-style cocoa ovals with a thin orange-marmalade layer, dark chocolate tops and chopped pistachios, traditionally associated with the autumn commemorations of the dead.
Rame di Napoli
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Allow about 195 minutes: 40 hands-on, 0 chilling or resting, 35 whole-batch cooking and 120 cooling/setting. Cooling includes tray rest. Follow the method for batch sizes and doneness cues.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Kitchen scale or US measures
- Mixing bowl and sturdy spatula
- Fine sieve
- Two parchment-lined 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Two spoons
- Cooling rack
- Microwave-safe chocolate bowl
- Small spreading knife
Soft Catania-style cocoa ovals with a thin orange-marmalade layer, dark chocolate tops and chopped pistachios, traditionally associated with the autumn commemorations of the dead.
Ingredients
Optional sprinkles are for decoration and are not included in the nutrition estimate. Spice weights are approximate.
Instructions
Mix the cocoa batter
- 1Mix the cocoa batterHeat the oven to 350°F (177°C) conventional or 325°F (163°C) fan. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl and mix in sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Stir in soft butter, milk, honey and orange zest with a sturdy spatula until uniform. The result should be a thick scoopable batter rather than a rolling dough.
Spoon the oval portions
- 2Spoon the oval portionsDivide the batter into 20 portions, about 39 g each, using two spoons. Put ten on each of two lined large sheets, at least 2 inches apart. Smooth each into a plump oval about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Do not flatten into thin disks or add a hollow for filling.
Bake and cool
- 3Bake and coolBake one sheet at a time for 13–16 minutes, allowing 32 minutes for both. Remove when the tops are set and a skewer from the center has crumbs but no wet batter. Leave each batch on its sheet for 10 minutes, then on a rack for 20 minutes. They remain soft and cake-like when cold.
Add marmalade and chocolate
- 4Add marmalade and chocolateSpread the measured marmalade thinly over the cold tops, about 3 g per cookie. Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts; allow up to 3 minutes elapsed melting time, included in the 35-minute cooking allowance. Stir in coating oil. Dip only the tops into chocolate and let excess drip back into the bowl, leaving the bases uncoated.
Finish the pistachio tops
- 5Finish the pistachio topsScatter the measured chopped pistachios over the wet chocolate. Leave in a cool room for about 90 minutes until the coating is firm to touch. Cooling and setting together total about 120 minutes after the last baking batch. This is 20 individual coated ovals, with no sandwich halves.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Very soft butter mixes into this batter without a separate melting-and-cooling stage.
Technique & texture
Keep the marmalade layer thin so the chocolate coating does not slide away from the soft cookie.
Finishing & serving
Pistachios go on while the chocolate is wet; no adhesive or extra glaze is needed.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 2 days | Keep cooled coated cookies airtight in a cool room, preferably in one layer. |
| Refrigerator | Up to 3 days | Store airtight and follow any shorter after-opening instruction on the marmalade label. |
| Freezer | Up to 1 month, undecorated | Freeze baked cooled ovals without marmalade or chocolate; finish after thawing. |
| Make ahead | Bake before storing | Mix and portion the batter when ready to bake; hold baked undecorated cookies refrigerated up to 2 days. |
| Serving | After thawing | Thaw covered in the refrigerator, then bring a serving to room temperature and decorate. |
Notes
- Keep the ovals evenly sized and coat only after they are completely cold; the soft crumb is easy to dent while warm. This home formula has not been kitchen-tested.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per serving calculated from ingredient weights divided by 20; required fillings and toppings included, optional decorations excluded. Brands, unused coating and actual serving size affect the estimate.
THE COOKIE INDEXITALIANCHRISTMAS COOKIES
Frequently Asked Questions
Are rame di Napoli from Naples?
Despite the name, this cookie belongs to the Catania tradition in Sicily.
Are they exclusively Christmas cookies?
No. They are particularly associated with All Saints and the commemoration of the dead; they can also be baked for a winter cookie assortment.
Is the marmalade a hidden filling?
Here it is a measured thin layer on the baked top beneath the chocolate, not a stuffed center.
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