Those born under the shadow of the ‘muntagna,’ Mount Etna, will recognize the Rame di Napoli as the dessert of the heart.
These extremely ‘chocolaty’ cookies are traditionally eaten around the commemoration of the dead, but in the bakeries of eastern Sicily they can now be found all year round.
Rame di Napoli (Naples coppers), for those who have not yet had the good fortune to bite into them, are soft chocolate ‘cookies,’ scented with cinnamon and covered with a silky chocolate glaze.
Moreover, to make them even more delicious, it is now customary to fill them: with hazelnut or pistachio spreads and orange marmalade.
If you try them, believe me, you won’t be able to do without them.
I decided to make some filled with orange jam.
Rame di Napoli
Sicilian Iconic Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Glaze (and Orange Jam Filing)
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/8 tbsp Baking Powder
- 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Cinnamon Powder
- 3-4 Cloves Powder
- Zest of one Orange
- 1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 Cups Milk
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 Cups Dark Chocolate
- 1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine
Filing
- Orange Jam (or your Preferred Jam)
Decoration
- Pistachios or Almond Grains
Instructions
- In a bowl, sift the cocoa powder, baking powder and flour.
- Mix well and add the sugar.
- Continue stirring.
- Add the cinnamon, clove powder, and zest of 1 orange and continue mixing.
- Add the butter (or margarine), honey and milk.
- Continue stirring vigorously until you have a nice smooth mixture.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest for half an hour in the refrigerator.
- Take a baking sheet and place baking paper on it.
- Using two wet spoons or simply with your (wet) hands, form small “nuts” with the dough and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes (they should remain soft).
Now prepare the chocolate glaze.
- In a small saucepan, add the butter ( or margarine) and dark chocolate.
- Cook in a bain-marie until creamy in consistency.
- In my case I decided to fill some cookies with orange marmalade.
- With a knife, cut off the top of the cookie and fill it with the jam.
- Now dip the cookies into the chocolate cream we prepared in a bain-marie.
- Sprinkle the cookies with pistachio or almond grains.
- Let me know what you think!!!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
