Amaretto Santacrocese
Amaretto Santacrocese is a typical cone-shaped biscuit from Santa Croce sull’Arno.
It is made only with almond flour, sugar and eggs, to which is added, as flavoring, grated lemon peel.
From the Middle Ages, Santa Croce sull'Arno was home to a convent of cloistered Santa Cristiana nuns, who, at the beginning of the 19th century, began to welcome young people from a few noble Sicilian families.
During the Christmas holidays, they received parcels from their relatives of dried fruit and in particular, almonds. Reinventing the marzipan production techniques, typical of Sicilian cuisine, the nuns began to use almonds to produce sweets to donate to benefactors. After many years, the Amaretto recipe passed to the owners of a small bakery located in front of the convent and shortly thereafter, also other merchants from Santa Croce sull'Arno began to produce this biscuit following the historic recipe.
Processing stages
Santacrocese amaretto is a dry cookie, cone-shaped, with a square base - baked on a wafer layer - golden in color with a slightly darker tip.
The original recipe initially calls for lightly toasting the almonds in order to later release them from the film that surrounds them. However, recently some manufacturers have replaced roasting with boiling the almonds.
Then the almonds are ground and subsequently mixed with sugar, eggs and lemon peel.
Then with the mixture, mounds with a characteristic conical shape are formed, which, placed on wafer-covered baking sheets, are baked in a hot oven.
While in the past it was sold unpackaged (and packaged at the time of sale in classic pastry trays), it is now routinely offered for sale in small transparent plastic bags.
Santacrocese amaretto is a dry cookie, cone-shaped, with a square base - baked on a wafer layer - golden in color with a slightly darker tip.
The original recipe initially calls for lightly toasting the almonds in order to later release them from the film that surrounds them. However, recently some manufacturers have replaced roasting with boiling the almonds.
Then the almonds are ground and subsequently mixed with sugar, eggs and lemon peel.
Then with the mixture, mounds with a characteristic conical shape are formed, which, placed on wafer-covered baking sheets, are baked in a hot oven.
While in the past it was sold unpackaged (and packaged at the time of sale in classic pastry trays), it is now routinely offered for sale in small transparent plastic bags.
Food and wine
The Amaretto Santacrocese is a typical end-of-meal pastry that goes perfectly with Tuscan Vinsanto and other dessert wines.
The Santa Croce sull'Arno Amaretto Festival is organized every year in Santa Croce sull'Arno.
The Amaretto Santacrocese is a typical end-of-meal pastry that goes perfectly with Tuscan Vinsanto and other dessert wines.
The Santa Croce sull'Arno Amaretto Festival is organized every year in Santa Croce sull'Arno.
