Crispelle

Hi Everyone!
Continuing with our traditional Christmas baking, today we have made an old favourite.  Crispelle were a very popular treat that Nonnina's mom made back home.  Prior to coming to Canada, they could not really afford to buy the ingredients to make cookies so many of their go to treats were made from simple ingredients - mainly savoury, and fried.  Crispelle can be made in whichever way you would like and that is the beauty of this simple pastry; you can make it in strips like Nonnina's mom or in circles which is how I enjoy them.  They can even be paired with different ingredients.  Nonnina either makes them plain, with golden raisins or traditionally with Baccala (salt water cod).

Any way you choose to enjoy this dessert, it is guaranteed to be delicious!

Ingredients

• 4 1/12 cups of water
• 4 tsp of yeast for bread
• 4 tsp of sugar
• 8 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp of salt
• 10 cups of flour
• Sugar for dusting

Preparation

1. In a large bowl pour together the water, yeast and sugar and let it sit until the yeast bubbles at the top.

2. Once the yeast has bubbled to the top, pour the mix into the food processor, add the oil and pulse until combined.

3.  Add the flour to the food processor once cup at a time, and pulse until all combined.

4. Grease and flower a large bowl, and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside for about 3 hours to rise.

5. Once risen, fill a large pan with sunflower or canola oil and stretch strips of the dough apart, laying them gently in the oil.

 6. Flip them over to cook on both sides and remove them using a slotted spoon when they are golden.  Put them on paper towels to drain.

7. Sprinkle them with a dusting of sugar to finish.  Do this as soon as they come out of the oil so that the sugar sticks.

During this holiday season make sure to visit Nonnina's Kitchen for new traditional Italian Goodies!

Don't forget to follow my blog to get new recipes and see what's cooking in Nonnina's Kitchen EVERY week!

Buon Apetito!

With Love From, Nonnina!

Biscotti with Honey Almonds

Hi Everyone,
Welcome back to Nonnina's Kitchen!  we have been very busy baking for the Christmas holidays so over the next couple of days keep an eye put for some delicious traditional Italian holiday treats! 
The recipe we made for today's blog post were Biscotti with honey almonds, which was a recipe that was given to Nonnina from her niece Nadia in Calgary.  Like in any kitchen, we came across a few bumps along the road, but that's what makes the end product that much more enjoyable.  Baking with Nonnina is always a laugh, and its times where things don't go quite like we planned that are the best!  We hope that you and your families have just as much fun as we did throughout our holiday baking!
Enjoy!

Ingredients
Dough
-  3 cups of honey
-  3 eggs
-  2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 7 cups of flour
- 1/2 tsp salt

Filling
- 2 cups of almonds 
- 2 tbsp of cocoa

Directions
1. Pour the honey into a large pan and warm it up.  Do not make it too hot about a minute, then remove it from the heat.

2. Pour the honey into a mixing bowl and add eggs one by one to the honey. After each egg mix until it is combined.  Do not let the eggs curdle.  Put the excess honey from the pan aside you will use it later

3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. 

4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients a little bit at a time. ,I'd until it forms a dough.  Put it in a bowl, cover it and let it rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

5. Coat the almonds in the pan with the excess honey you put aside.  Make sure to reheat the honey first.

6.  Let the almonds cool off.
7. Add cocoa powder to the almonds and mix until coated.

8. Dust your cutting board with flour, cut a piece of dough and roll it our into a log.  

9. Flatten the log using a rolling pin and fill it with the coated almonds.

NONNINA'S TIP* You can substitute the almonds with the Cillipieni filling as another option

10. Fold in both sides and move the filled log to a cookie sheet coated with parchment paper.

11. Bake in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes

12. Slice the logs into cookies

NONNINA'S TIP* you can put the sliced cookies back into the oven to make them crunchy

During this holiday season make sure to visit Nonnina's Kitchen for new traditional Italian Goodies!

Don't forget to follow my blog to get new recipes and see what's cooking in Nonnina's Kitchen EVERY week!

Buon Apetito!

With Love From, Nonnina!