Traditional Italian Christmas food isn’t very dessert heavy, but naturally, there are many sumptuous desserts to choose from. In Italian culture, Christmas is a huge deal, and the desserts definitely reflect that! Take a look at this flashback to last year’s 2019 Christmas in Rome. Cenci can be "dressed up" for any holiday—at Easter, I sprinkle yellow, pink and lavender jelly beans over them, and for Christmas, red and green candy sprinkles give the cenci a festive look. Sfogliatelle not just Neapolitan. Rosette Christmas Cookies. Learn how your comment data is processed. Christmas Dessert Idea: Italian Turdilli Recipe | Sensibus.com Traditional Italian Christmas Desserts including struffoli, buccelato - fig cake, rainbow cookies, pandoro, panettone, Italian cookies and more. PANETTONE. The traditional Italian Christmas cake is popular not just in Italy, but worldwide. Let’s end with a quick mention of pastry shops in other Italian cities. Then the first course follows which is often pasta or a soup. Let’s be real. The Italian Christmas dinner includes at least 5 courses. Nougat is an Italian invention, symbol of celebrations, especially on certain convivial occasions.Apicius also talks about it in “De re coquinaria”, and Tito Livio and Marziale also write about it.Just the great Latin poet, localizes the ancient nougat, in the Sannio area, still very famous for the production of cupedia.. Traditionally from Calabria, Susumelle make for the perfect holiday treat. Sweeten up the holiday season with a selection of decadent Italian desserts from Giada De Laurentiis. Read about Naples and its great food here. It’s Letitia‘s take on panettone and an amazing dessert to serve over the holidays. Giving a panettone or a pandoro is an Italian custom that does not seem to have problems with being exported abroad, but it's not the only one. This collection of authentic Italian Christmas Eve and Christmas Day recipes will help you to plan a holiday just like Nonna. Dec 9, 2020 - Explore Tracy Roberts's board "Italian Christmas Desserts", followed by 169 people on Pinterest. These are baked in a brownie pan and then cut into squares, and they freeze beautifully.Struffoli (honey-dipped, deep-fried sweet dough balls), a holiday treat originally from Naples, were not part of Michele’s holiday baking tradition although nowadays she says you find them quite frequently in the greater New York area. These cookies are absolutely delicious and are not very difficult to make! Here’s the recipe for Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti. However, if you’d like to surprise your family with something different this Christmas, then you’re in the right place. Pignoli. Thirty years ago Melissa’s mother-in-law shared this recipe with her and it’s a nugget-like cookie made with honey, sesame seeds, almonds, cinnamon and orange zest. What about the rest of Italy? They reflect the availability of local ingredients plus the input of acquired new cultural baking recipes. Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake with Amaretto and Mascarpone Whipped Cream . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Add the perfect holiday touch to your ordinary tiramisu with this recipe! The cookies are cut into diamond shapes and they are chewy and delicious! It begins with a starter. 8 Classic Italian Christmas desserts Piedmont – Torrone d’Alba Torrone is Italy’s version of nougat, a mixture of honey, sugar and almonds that was already popular in Roman times. I loved the idea and I’ve adapted the recipe still further to include sweet dried cranberries which makes it a wonderful dessert to serve over the holidays! One of the most delightful breakfast treats imaginable is panettone French toast. Many Italians grew up eating Mostaccioli cookies around Christmastime! Pignoli are delicious pine nut cookies commonly eaten during Christmastime. I bake my own panettone; here’s the step-by-step recipe. Try this light, festive dessert with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate 15 mins Classic Italian Christmas cookies and holiday desserts, by region (alphabetically): Abruzzo – Parrozzo Basilicata – Calzoncelli Calabria – Petrali Campania – Struffoli Napoletani Emilia-Romagna – Certosino di Bologna Friuli Venezia Giulia – Potiza, Focaccia Natalizia Lazio – Pangiallo Liguria – Spongata di Sarzana Torrone. These make for the perfect sweet treat after a huge Christmas dinner or lunch. Cappuccino Biscotti. Fig and Pistachio Biscotti. The lightly sweet, dried fruit-studded dessert keeps well much like fruit cake, making it a popular gift.When you make your own panettone, you can flavor it however you like with your choice of fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, and more. Filed Under: Food & Wine, Holidays, Podcast, Recipes. Struffoli are delicious deep-fried dough balls coated with honey. The most popular cake in Italy that you find on every single holiday table is panettone (a tall raisin bread-like cake) and pandoro (a fluffy and tall bread-textured sweet cake). Let us know in the comment section! Here are the ones she made this year: Abruzzo – ParrozzoBasilicata – CalzoncelliCalabria – PetraliCampania – Struffoli NapoletaniEmilia-Romagna – Certosino di BolognaFriuli Venezia Giulia – Potiza, Focaccia NataliziaLazio – PangialloLiguria – Spongata di SarzanaMarche – Cavallucci di ApiroMolise – Pepatelli di NatalePiemonte – TorronePuglia – CartellateSardegna – Pane di MostoSicilia – Crispeddì di MessinaToscana – Panforte di SienaTrentino Alto Adige – Kipperl all Vaniglia AltoatesiniUmbria – Pinoccata Bianca e NeraValle d’Aosta – Lou MécoulenBiscotti are traditional at Christmas time and I like to add dried cranberries for a festive and tasty variation. Panettone is the traditional Christmas cake of Milan and has become the most common Christmas cake in Italy. Italian Christmas desserts. The holidays are a time for tradition and for many home cooks, that includes certain classic desserts. She recently shared a wonderful family Christmas cookie recipe, giurgiulena. They are not easy to make and require about two days’ time but they are worth it! At Christmas, sweet foods are the masters, appearing on Italian tables and immediately filling all diners with festivity. © 2020 Hardcore Italians. It derives from the ‘pan de oro’ created in Verona in the 19 th century to celebrate the first Christmas under the Scala dynasty, and was first patented with the name Pandoro in 1894 by Domenico Melegatti, founder of … Originally published December 16, 2016. Michele Di Pietro and I shared our Italian heritage Christmas cookie recipes and holiday desserts, plus a few other recipes we love. The second course can be meat- or fish-based, but more often there are more than one second courses. is an Italian-American blog covering Italian news, culture, recipes, videos, and more! No matter how much you have eaten between appetizers, first courses, main courses and various other side dishe, the deliciousness takes over and there is always space for dessert. Almost every single town and region throughout Italy has fabulous holiday recipes and many of these have been adapted by Italian Americans and Italian immigrants worldwide. Along with panettone, Pandoro is the most popular Christmas sweet in Italy. She recently tasted a variation on the traditional tiramisù recipe made with biscotti. Anise Biscotti. Also known as “fig cookies” cuccidati cookies are a very popular Christmas time treat and tradition. All rights reserved. Celebrate Christmas like the Calabrese and make some delicious and sweet chinulille this holiday season. Chocolate chips are not always available everywhere in Italy so instead I make a peanut butter thumbprint cookie and put a gianduia chocolate in the center. Pizzelle. Many families usually have favorite Italian Christmas cookies and Christmas desserts that they enjoy during holidays. Nothing says Christmas quite like sweet anise cookies! See more ideas about desserts, food, italian christmas. This buttery, Italian bread really is the star of Christmas desserts. Tina Prestia (tinastable.com) from Bologna often travels around Italy sampling all kinds of delicious foods. These cookies are absolutely delicious and are not very difficult to make! Learn how your comment data is processed. Anginetti, Italian Lemon Knot Cookies. I plan to serve it New Year’s Eve. For decades I've pursued my passion for Italian food and culture through bespoke food tours, hands-on cooking classes, travel tips, walking tours, day trips and weeklong food holidays at charming spots throughout Italy. Panettone is a kind of Christmas cake, a sweet … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Christmas Recipes prepared by our Nonne - our Grandmas! If you didn’t know better you would think you are tasting a chocolate truffle, but these truffles are made from ground Oreo cookies and cream cheese! It's the sweetest time of year! Not only does this dessert look absolutely beautiful, but it also tastes amazing too. Panettone is a quintessential Italian Christmas treat laced with fruit, citrus and cognac. The name torrone means “big tower,” and it probably originates from the Medieval use to build large castle-shaped sweets with honey and almonds. The Christmas holidays are around the corner, and Italian Christmas desserts would make them memorable. Get authentic Italian desserts in the comfort of your home with these cake recipes, biscotti recipes and more. Let us help you get into the holiday spirit with our list of top 10 Italian holiday desserts! Italian Christmas food - the desserts. This delicious fritter is usually stuffed with a custard or pastry cream and it’s typically served on March 19, the feast of Saint Joseph. Mini Italian Pannetone Cakes Michele‘s grandmother made a version of zeppole stuffed with anchovies! The small town where I live, Riano, celebrates a Pangiallo Festival on December 8th.One of my favorite cookies is buccellati, a Sicilian Christmas cookie stuffed with dried summer figs.Melissa Bellini, an accomplished Italian American home cook shares her fabulous recipes on Instagram and in videos. Pignoli are delicious pine nut cookies commonly eaten during Christmastime. Struffoli, a classic Christmas Italian dessert, is made of deep-fried little dough balls, very aromatic due to the citrus zest and limoncello then coated in honey and topped with sprinkles, and candied fruit. Nov 11, 2012 - Traditional Italian Christmas Desserts including struffoli, buccelato - fig cake, rainbow cookies, pandoro, panettone, Italian cookies and more. From traditional treats like crunchy biscotti to an unexpected take on tiramisu, there are countless options to start baking up today – including a few new Italian ideas for your holiday cookie exchange. The most famous internationally is panettone. The dome-shaped sweet bread fruit loaf contains that special mix of raisins, candied orange, citron and lemon zest. They are served in many Italian homes during Christmastime! While we may not have the time to whip up some panettone from scratch, there are plenty of Italian desserts for the holidays that won’t require a full day’s worth of effort! Zeppole can be enjoyed all year round, but with there being so many varieties of the recipe, you can change things up and add some of your favorite Christmassy flavours. And if you don’t tell, no-one will know the difference! Holiday baking is one of the cornerstones of the holiday season and many of us have recipes for traditional Italian Christmas cookies and desserts that stem from family and local traditions. I make a small commission on purchases made through links on my website. Happy baking everyone! Both of these holiday cakes are a typical gift exchanged with friends and family, and usually beautifully packaged, each one more beautiful than the next. Is it on our list? They aren’t only sweet and delicious, they are also super easy and quick to make as well. These delicious cookies have all the flavors of Christmas packed in them. At the end of the holiday season I usually buy up a few of these just so I can make this French toast recipe. Although these cookies are full of flavor and look like they take long to make, they are actually simple to make! And finally I have to mention a fabulous recipe in Letitia Clark’s new Sardinian cookbook, Bitter Honey: it’s a Saffron Custard and Panettone Pudding. In the Genoa area the most popular holiday cookie is anicini, flavored with anise.Chocolate chip cookies are always a favorite during the holidays. My mother brought this special family recipe from Europe a century ago. A few years back one of my sisters gave me a recipe for chocolate truffles. When you taste them your mouth is full of a comfy and delicious dark chocolate truffle flavor. Almost every town in every region in Italy has its own variation on a rich and delicious holiday treat filled with nuts and dried fruit. It contains all the sweet and citrusy flavors of Christmas! Puff Cookies . The first course is either broth or pasta followed by a second course generally based on meat or fish, followed by dessert,” Giovani Ballarini, anthropologist, president of the Academy of Italian Cuisine, told Italian … 17 Easy Italian Dessert Recipes - Italian Christmas Desserts Another of her favorite cookie are snowball cookies loaded with nuts and butter, and sometimes known as Mexican wedding cookies.She also made Czechoslovakian Christmas cookies with her mom: a cookie with a lemon and ricotta batter and layers of jam, usually apricot. 4. on 10 Traditional Italian Holiday Desserts You Need to Try (Recipes Included), How Cake Boss Buddy Valastro Saved the Iconic Carlo’s Bakery – Video , This Italian Cheese Factory Makes Wine-Soaked Cheese , We are giving away a free Italian Horn Keychain. Prices are identical for you, but purchasing through my links helps support my work to bring you great recipes, podcast episodes, culinary and travel information. There are also other Christmas sweets that can make you happy, linked to the Italian regions and their customs. Michele did a lot of holiday baking with her mom and one of her favorite recipes is pizzelle made with anise. Ranging from fruitcakes and fried sweets with centuries of history to 20th-century creations, here are some Italian Christmas highlights enjoyed from South to North. Read about Naples and its great food here, I make a peanut butter thumbprint cookie and put a gianduia chocolate, Cristina Bowerman, Michelin Star Chef Glass Hosteria – Episodes 42 & 43, Pork Sausage and Lentils (Cotechino e Lenticchie), Rimessa Roscioli and the Wine Club – Podcast Episode 41, Traditional Italian Christmas Cookies and Holiday Desserts – Podcast Episode 40, Holiday Gift Guide for the Chef & Passionate Home Cook – Podcast Episode 39. Italian Christmas Recipes prepared by Italian Grandmas to help you celebrate Christmas Italian Style. Christmas wouldn’t be done right without all of those traditional (and amazing) Italian sweets. Via Stazzo Quadro, 15b - 00060 Roma (Riano). Best Italian Christmas Desserts Recipes from 8 Classic Italian Christmas Dessert Recipes.Source Image: finedininglovers.com.Visit this site for details: finedininglovers.com Tangy, savory cranberry meatballs are constantly a favored at Christmas dinner and also the recipe can conveniently scaled up for holiday events. Usually there’s a small amount of flour – about 15% – and then all the ingredients are chopped and combined together to form a flat round or rectangular loaf, similar to the flat loaf for biscotti. We got you covered with our list of 10 traditional Italian holiday desserts that you gotta try! Find this Italian Christmas dessert recipe right this way. In Florence, an exceptional panettone is to be had at Pasticceria Giorgio, which specializes in classic panettone and those with chocolate or walnuts. Michele says you can also now find zeppole, a larger and equally delicious deep-fried sweet dough ball. The final course is a dessert … What is your favorite holiday dessert? They’re rolled into walnut-sized balls and drizzled with melted dark chocolate: positively luscious! Treat your family to these magical Christmas confections, from a decadent chocolate yule log to sweet sugarplum candies.Not only are these must-make desserts delicious, but many of these recipes are great for holiday gifting, too! 5. Cucidati, Sicilian Fig Cookies. Panforte is a classic of Christmas tables; this traditional Tuscan dessert is a feather in the Italian gastronomic heritage cap. Here you will find some of the most traditional Italian Christmas desserts that our Nonne... our Grandmothers have preserved for many generations. Italian Christmas Tree Cake with Lemon Curd and Limoncello. Christmas Dessert Recipes Great for New Year Day too!!! It’s not Christmas in Italy without the famous pandoro and panettone desserts, but in Abruzzo, the real stars of Christmas are the sfogliatelle, caggionetti and bocconotti.All three of them are filled with grape jam and coated with powdered sugar. Torrone is a staple after dinner dessert in many Italian homes around the holidays. Anthony Masterson / Getty. –Katie Parla If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Torrone is a staple after dinner dessert in many Italian homes around the holidays. With so many different flavours to choose from, panettone makes for the perfect holiday treat and an even better gift! This year why not make it yourself instead of serving the store bought stuff? The following Italian dishes are the types of food my southern Italian family (some of whom are now all over the globe) makes at Christmastime, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The traditional desserts of a Christmas in Italy are: panforte – a type of dry cake made of honey, spices, candied fruit and almonds, which is typical for the Tuscan city of Siena; torrone – Italian nougat made with almonds (also called mandorlato), hazelnuts or even peanuts, which can be either very hard or soft. "Everyone interprets the ‘rules’ of Christmas dinner in their own way. The quintessential Italian Christmas cake, Panettone is eaten during Christmas and New Year not just in the homeland, but all over the world. Italian Cenci Cookies. These are perfect for holiday parties and make a great sweet gift. Made in miniature size, it makes for a sweet party favor or holiday gift. In Tuscany this cake is known as panforte, and in Siena panpepato because freshly ground black pepper is added to the ingredients.Here in the Lazio region where Rome is located this cake is known as pangiallo. 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