Rame di Napoli: Sicilian Spicy and Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Do you love spicy and chocolate cookies? Here is the recipe of Rame di Napoli. These delicious chocolate cookies are typical sweets of the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. If you are traveling to Sicily, you can find them only from October to January. They are simple enough to cook at home, so that you can taste them during the year 😉 There are many versions of Rame di Napoli. My favorite version is the one that includes the addition of orange jam. You can also add Nutella (chocolate cream), white chocolate or pistachio cream.

CURIOSITY: The origin of these cookies is still uncertain. The best hypothesis is that the inhabitants of Catania created the sweet version of a real copper coin, which was conied to replace gold and silver coins when the Kingdom of Sicily was annexed to the Kingdom of Naples.

Rame di Napoli Sicilian spicy and chocolate cookies

INGREDIENTS (I will use grams, especially for desserts, because weighing in grams is more accurate)

For the cookies:

250 gr flour “00”
50 gr butter
8 gr cake yeast
100 gr sugar
200 gr milk
50 gr cocoa powder
orange peel
1/2 teaspoon chopped cloves
cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey

For the icing:

60 gr butter
150 gr dark chocolate
chopped pistachios and/or hazelnuts
orange jam (if you want)

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FOR THE COOKIES DOUGH
– Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
– Melt the butter on low heat (just a bit, not at all) and let it cool.
– Put the sugar inside a bowl and add the melted butter.
– Mix the ingredients and add honey, orange peel, yeast, cocoa, cinnamon, chopped cloves, and sifted flour (a little at a time) with milk, until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
– Place the dough on a baking sheet (not too close to avoid they stick) give them a circular shape and cook for about 5 minutes.
– When they are ready let them cool and then proceed with the frosting.

FOR THE ICING
– Melt chocolate in a double boiler with the butter. Puts on biscuits chopped pistachios or if you prefer the chopped hazelnuts (if you want you cann add layer of orange jam), then add the icing. Let icing dry for a few hours 🙂

You won’t able to do without these yummy chocolate cookies!