Cantucci
Cantucci di Prato: twice-baked Tuscan almond biscuits
Cantucci, also called biscotti di Prato, are the hard almond biscuits of Prato, near Florence, where bakeries have sold them since the 1800s. The dough is shaped into logs, baked, sliced on the diagonal and baked again until crisp and golden, so they keep for weeks. In Tuscany they end a meal dipped in a small glass of Vin Santo; with coffee works just as well. The traditional recipe has no butter or oil, only eggs, sugar, flour and whole almonds. Chef's tip: slice the logs while still warm with a serrated knife and a firm sawing motion; once cold, they crumble.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a baking tray. Toast 7 oz whole almonds, skin on on another tray for 6 minutes until lightly fragrant. Cool.
6 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 7 oz caster sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch salt and 1 tsp orange zest in a bowl. Beat 2 of the 2 eggs with 1 tsp vanilla extract and stir in to make a stiff, slightly sticky dough. Work in the almonds with your hands.
Step 3: On a lightly floured board, divide into 3 and roll each into a log 4 cm wide and 2 cm high. Place on the tray well apart; they spread.
Step 4: Beat the remaining 1 eggs and brush over the logs. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch.
25 minStep 5: Cool for 5 minutes, then cut on the diagonal into 1.5 cm slices with a serrated knife.
5 minStep 6: Lay the slices cut side down and bake for 10 minutes more, until the cut faces are pale gold and dry. Common mistake: baking them too long the second time; they should be crisp, not dark brown and rock-hard.
10 minStep 7: Cool on a rack. They crisp up further as they cool and keep for 3 weeks in an airtight tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cantucci take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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