Roccocò

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Small saucepan
• •Baking sheets lined with parchment
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Pastry brush for glazing

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast and chop the almonds

   Spread the whole almonds on a baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven until fragrant and golden inside, 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool completely. Chop them coarsely with a knife. You want visible pieces, not almond flour. Some should be as large as a chickpea, others smaller. This irregular texture defines the cookie.

   Taste an almond after toasting. It should be nutty and sweet, not raw-tasting. Under-toasted almonds make flat-flavored cookies.
2. 2

   Combine dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Add the chopped almonds, diced candied citrus, orange zest, and lemon zest. Toss everything together until the almonds and citrus are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.

3. 3

   Warm the honey

   In a small saucepan, warm the honey and water over low heat, stirring until the honey loosens and the mixture is fluid. Do not boil. Remove from heat immediately when combined. The honey should be pourable, nothing more.

4. 4

   Form the dough

   Pour the warm honey mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. It will be stiff and sticky. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, no more than a minute, until it comes together. The dough will be dense and somewhat difficult to work. This is correct. Do not add more liquid.

   If the dough is too sticky to handle, wet your hands. If it is too crumbly, your honey was not warm enough. Work it more firmly before abandoning it.
5. 5

   Shape the rings

   Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, roughly the size of a golf ball. Roll each piece between your palms into a rope about 5 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. The rope will be rough and bumpy from the almonds. This is proper. Join the ends to form a ring, pressing firmly to seal. The ring should be about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

6. 6

   Glaze the cookies

   Brush the top and sides of each ring with beaten egg white. Use a light hand. You want a thin, even coating that will turn golden and glossy, not pools that will turn the cookies wet. Let the glazed cookies rest for 15 minutes before baking. This helps the glaze set.

7. 7

   Bake until golden

   Heat the oven to 325°F. Bake the cookies until deep golden brown all over, 22 to 25 minutes. They will still feel soft when hot. Do not be deceived. They harden completely as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least one hour before attempting to eat them.

   Under-baked roccocò never achieve proper hardness. Over-baked ones turn bitter. Golden brown means golden brown, not pale, not dark.
8. 8

   Store and serve properly

   Store cooled roccocò in an airtight tin at room temperature. They keep for weeks, which is the point. Serve with vin santo, Marsala, or espresso for dunking. Dip, wait for the cookie to soften (this takes 10 to 15 seconds), and eat. Do not attempt to bite through an undunked roccocò unless you wish to visit a dentist.

Chef Tips

• •Candied citron is traditional, but quality varies wildly. Seek out soft, fragrant citron from an Italian grocer. The hard, flavorless bits in supermarket fruitcake mix are not acceptable. Good candied orange peel makes a fine substitute.
• •The spice blend called pisto or peppe forte appears in Neapolitan bakeries. It contains cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, and pepper in varying proportions. This recipe approximates it, but if you find authentic pisto, use one tablespoon in place of the individual spices.
• •Neapolitans debate whether roccocò should be chewy-hard or rock-hard. This recipe produces the traditional rock-hard version. For slightly softer cookies, increase the honey by two tablespoons and reduce baking time by three minutes.
• •These are not breakfast cookies. They are after-dinner cookies, served with something to dunk them in. Vin santo is traditional. Strong espresso works. Hot chocolate for children.

Advance Preparation

• •Roccocò keep for three to four weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature. They may actually improve after a few days as the flavors meld.
• •The dough can be made one day ahead and refrigerated, tightly wrapped. Bring to room temperature before shaping, as cold dough cracks.
• •Shaped but unbaked rings can be frozen on baking sheets, then transferred to freezer bags. Bake directly from frozen, adding two to three minutes to the baking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 42g)