christmas cookies go best with wine, not milk
sluttiest italian holiday cookie recipes
Italian Santas do things a little differently. And I love it.
I’ve been eating a lot of cookies lately. Ok fine, I am always eating cookies. There’s no better breakfast for me. It makes me feel closer to my father and my grandparents, whom I grew up watching dip biscuits or toast in their coffee…
…or wine.
You see, Italy is full of some amazing biscotti (cookies). No no, biscotti aren’t just those long stale almond cookies Starbucks sticks right under the cash register in hopes of a last-minute upsell. Biscotti are just cookies plural in Italy.
Unless we are talking about chocolate chip cookies - which Italians love these days. Those are simply ‘cookies’ with an Italian accent.
Back to biscotti
Folks, we’ve been doing it all wrong. Christmas cookies don’t go best dipped in milk - they go best dipped in wine.
What? wine??? First, let me say Italian Christmas cookies are nowhere near as sweet as, let’s say, an Oreo. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but Milk’s favorite cookie isn’t one of them.
But, it’s so brilliant. Dipping cookies in wine is also the most Italian thing - a tradition born during the brutal poverty-stricken periods that Italy endured. Every morsel of food, mostly bread and biscuits, was eaten. When stale, it all was rehydrated in what was most convenient. And, we know Italians have long been turning water into wine.
No- we aren’t talking about dessert wines. We mean all wine.
In the past, wine was often more sweet (sugar helped preserve wine) so dipping something sweet didn’t seem so bizarre. Yet, still, cookies are dipped in regular wine today. The point isn't the pairing - it’s the dipping. It’s an art, a tradition, and we swear by it.
Italian Christmas cookies are also nowhere near as sweet as, let’s say, an Oreo. Sure, there are some exceptions, but Milk’s favorite cookie isn’t one of them. And honestly, the wine rehydrates cookies in a more fun way than milk ever could. It’s dairy-free and more party-friendly!
Most importantly - the cookie dipping tradition has evolved into a moment of enjoyment and togetherness, a nod of respect for the past and gratitude for the moment. The most Italian way to show gratitude is to not only enjoy your food but never waste it, either.
So, without further or do, let’s start this holiday party with the sluttiest Italian Christmas cookies (with wine suggestions, of course!)
sluttiest Italian Christmas cookies (+ best recipes)
mostaccioli (mustaccioli)
for the chocolate & Aglianico lovers
Italy’s Christmas cookie mascot - mostaccioli is a go-to on the Christmas dessert table in Italy, especially in southern Lazio and Napoli. These diamond-shaped cookies are made simply of honey, almonds, and citrus zest, along with a little rhum and spices oftentimes to give that good holiday kick.
But what makes mostaccioli the sluttiest is that they also come filled with all different things. From simple pistachio to boozing it up with Strega liquor to even making an apple filling, people get wild over here with their twists on this classic Christmas cookie.
The recipe above is a favorite - though they do substitute hazelnuts for almonds.
I should note there are also mostaccioli from other regions like Puglia and even Calabria - where they are quite the art let alone a cookie. I haven’t tried them yet, but this La Cucina Italiana article has convinced me.
canasciunetti di Supino
a labor of love, best served with Cesanese
Canasciunetti is less a cookie and more a mini…empanada? panzerotto? Either way, it’s small, it’s baked, and it’s easy to dip in wine so it to me is a cookie.
Canasciunetti is a dessert unique to Ciociaria / the province of Frosinone. Their filling is so Ciociaro - a blend of everything my grandfather probably kept in his pockets to snack on: walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts…plus the most Ciociaro ingredient of them all: chickpeas. It may sound strange but it gives the honey-sweetened filling a lovely creaminess. Baked in a woodburning oven, each little dough pocket of a cookie is like a warm winter hug.
Canasciunetti recipe from a local:
Dough: 500 g flour, pinch of salt, water (you can also use egg instead for easier kneading)
For the filling: 500 g of hazelnuts, cooked chickpeas, cooked chestnuts, walnuts + 500 g of honey, a good pinch of pepper and teaspoon of nutmeg if you wish
Recipe: Make your pastry dough, roll it out, and let it rest.
In a bowl, place plenty of cooked chestnuts and chickpeas. Mix well until everything becomes solid. Meanwhile, chop the walnuts and hazelnuts. Pour everything and add the honey until you obtain a soft mixture. Add nutmeg, pepper, or even chili according to your taste preferences.
Roll out your dough as if you were going to make ravioli. Fill accordingly then bake for 15-20 minutes at 180c/350 F!
cavallucci di Apiro
the mini Italian streudels best with a sparkling Verdicchio
Continuing on the ‘is it an empanada or a cookie?’ trend with a little trip to Le Marche with cavallucci. These cookies are a little less rustic than their Ciociaro cousins but equally delicious. Cavallucci might just be prettier too. Often these little pockets of love are basted after baking with saba or cooked grape must to give them a pretty pink color.
ricciarelli
winter wonderland in a cookie (and a glass of Trebbiano di Spoletino)
What an elegant cookie from such an elegant place. Siena, the picturesque Tuscan city perched on a hill, its air of regalness emanating over the hills of its equally gorgeous countryside.
Ricciarelli are nearly as old as Siena’s rivalry with Florence but much more palatable, let alone delicious. They are also not entirely Tuscan, nor Italian. We have the Middle East to thank for these cookies, which are vaguely reminiscent of an amaretto cookie.
The legend goes that a guy named Ricciardetto della Gherardesca (now you see where the name comes from) brought the idea of an almond and sugar cookie from the Middle East upon his return from the Crusades. The inspo was popular and the nuns started making them, and now we get to enjoy these pretty little cookies today - topped with powdered sugar to look snowy white.
My favorite recipe you can find here!
turdilli
the calabrese struffoli
The Calabrese found a way to make fried gnocchi even sexier than it already sounds. With a honey glaze, turdilli are a more sluttier struffoli and often are made by adding a little red or white wine to the batter. They can be baked or fried, which Oggi CucinAda shows you how to do both.
Plus, the name of these gives me a real laugh - and one look at the photos and you’ll see why. I apologize if I ruined your appetite - I couldn’t resist.
Note - fig honey in the above recipe isn’t required and can be substituted with regular honey!
bribanti
dangerous, especially with a glass of champagne
Umbria’s queen Christmas cookie is dangerous - sweet and light as a feather, you could eat one too many of these. With hints of lemon and cinnamon, birbanti are the perfect thing for a Christmas morning cup of tea, or glass of sparkling.
I dig La Cucina Italiana’s recipe for these Umbrian cookies.
roccocò
the cookie made to dunk in any wine
Many say the OG roccocò shouldn’t be too soft - they’re meant to be hard as hell and ready for a good swim in some nice vino rosso.
What I love most about roccocò is how it’s an almost perfect culmination of Napoli’s history - its origins trace back to convents in 13th century Napoli where nuns were experimenting and baking all the delicious things. Then, its name derives from the 18th century French shell-like decorative style rocaille - most likely an influence of the later French Bourbon reign in Napoli.
Flashforward to today, we got the roccocò which looks like a bagel and tastes like Christmas. Made with honey, almonds, flour, and spices - it’s ready to spice up the red wine you’ll be leaving santa on Christmas night.
So, which slutti Italian holiday cookie are you making this year? I got an idea: why not challenge your friends to Italian cookie exchange and get to try them all?
Whatever you do - let the cookie marathon begin!
I’ve already started.
Xx,
Victoria