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Desserts

Roccocò (Neapolitan Christmas Almond Cookies)

Roccocò are spiced Neapolitan Christmas cookies, served with vermouth, sparkling wine, white wine or Marsala for dunking.
Recipe Roccocò (Neapolitan Christmas Almond Cookies)
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 20 minutes
  • Cooking 15 minutes
  • Servings for 4 people

Roccocò are crisp, spiced cookies traditionally made at Christmastime for the classic Italian tray of cookies and dry pastries. Since they are quite hard, they are usually served with vermouth, sparkling wine, white wine or Marsala, so you can dunk them and make them even more enjoyable.

The original Neapolitan Roccocò recipe is defined by pisto, a spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and coriander that is used in many traditional desserts of Southern Italy. It gives Neapolitan Roccocò their typical aroma and flavor, which instantly brings to mind the colorful market stalls of the Christmas season.

If you’re wondering how to make Roccocò, you’ve come to the right place. The Roccocò recipe isn’t difficult: the dough will be quite stiff but easy to work with a little elbow grease, and after about an hour of resting, your Roccocò cookies are ready to be shaped and baked, filling the kitchen with their unmistakable aroma. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it really simple.

If you’re looking for more Neapolitan dessert recipes, we recommend trying Sfogliatelle Ricce, Neapolitan Pastiera, Mostaccioli and Struffoli. If you’d like to discover more Christmas dessert recipes to fill your holiday buffet, take a look at our collection of the Best Traditional Christmas Desserts.

Now let’s tie on our aprons and get our hands in the dough: today we’ll fill the house with the scent of spices and make these flavorful Roccocò together.

Ingredients for 4 people

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Method

  1. To make the Roccocò, start by chopping the hazelnuts and almonds in a food processor. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and pisto and stir until fully blended.
  2. In a small saucepan, cook the water, sugar and honey over low heat. Once they have formed a syrup, turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
  3. Pour the syrup into the bowl with the flour and pisto, then add the baker’s ammonia and start kneading. Add the grated orange zest and lemon zest as well and knead a little longer. Finally, let the dough rest for about an hour.
  4. Take the dough and pull off a small piece. Roll it into a sort of rope, then join the ends to form a ring. Repeat until you have used up all the dough, then brush the surface with egg yolk and press a few almonds into it.
  5. Bake in a conventional oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 15 minutes, then take the cookies out and let them cool. Serve the Roccocò with a glass of sparkling wine. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

The original Roccocò recipe also calls for candied fruit.

Tips

Shape each Roccocò from about 80 g of dough to get the ideal size.

If you prefer less “rustic” Roccocò with a more perfect shape, use round pastry cutters.

Storage

You can keep the Roccocò for a few days in a cookie tin.

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