If I were in my hometown of Perugia right now, I would have already started feasting on fave dei morti cookies in early October. Fave dei morti cookies – which literally translates to ‘fava beans of the dead’ – are soft, intensely almond-flavored cookies typical of Central Italy, that we eat around Halloween when Italy celebrates and commemorates our ancestors who have passed on.
And even if many towns in Central Italy claim fave dei morti as their own, I like to think their gastronomic heritage comes from my city of origin – especially considering that some remains of the traditional almond dessert have been found in Etruscan tombs in Umbria. (But then again, who am I to have the final word?) Though I have to confess that – as much as I love these cookies and as attached to the tradition as I am – it would never have occurred to me to make them had I not decided to emigrate to the other side of the world. Fave dei morti are the kind of deceptively simple delight that one can easily buy from their favorite baker. But you know how it goes – we don’t really appreciate something until it’s gone.
I only make them once a year – usually around mid-October – but always in a large batch so they’ll last through All Saints’ Day, Day of the Dead, and even longer if stored in an airtight sealed container.
Fave dei Morti cookies recipe by Viola Buitoni
Makes 30-35 cookies
Ingredients:
150 grams peeled almonds (raw or toasted, see note) 130 grams sugar
1 pinch salt
60 grams flour + some to roll the cookies
1 teaspoons baking powder
35 grams softened butter
1 generous tablespoon Amaretto (or 1TBSP rum with 1 tsp almond essence) 2 egg whites
Method:
Put the almonds in the food processor with 100 grams of sugar and the salt and grind them until they are quite fine. Don’t over process as they will start exuding oil, you will know because they will start sticking to the walls of the food processor bowl.
Note: you can use both raw or toasted almonds for this recipe. I am using toasted in the pictures you are seeing, though raw is the more traditional way. You can also take a super shortcut and turn to almond flour, they mouth feel will be slightly different. Whichever route you go, your fave dei morti will still be delectable.
Pour the almonds, sugar and salt into a bowl and sift the flour and baking soda over them. Stir to combine then add the butter and liquor. Mix well with a dough blender or with your fingertips to break the butter.
Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the rest of the ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, gather everything it into a compact log. Wrap it tightly in parchment paper and let it rest at least 3 hours, better if overnight. Note that it will be quite soft.
Heat the oven to 350 ̊F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the remaining sugar in a dish. Lightly flour your hands and your working surface. Grab a small piece of dough, approximately 20 grams, and roll it into a fat olive.
Dip your thumb in water and gently impress the first phalanx into the fat olive to slightly flatten it while creating a little dimple on its surface. Using a small offset spatula, lift the cookie and flip it onto the sugar dish to coat the top and sides. Lift it out of the sugar and place it on the sheet pan, sugared side up.
Repeat until you have gone through the whole log of dough, all the while arranging the cookies on the lined sheet pan leaving some distance between them.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until barely set, soft and a light golden beige around the bottom edges (obviously if you are using toasted almonds, the color variation will not be so visible).
You will be tempted to cook longer because they will look and feel like they are still raw. Resist the temptation and overcome the fear. Let cool in the pan to slightly harden, once your fave dei morti are ready they will have a tender, moist and chewy heart held at bay by a barely structured shell.
Let cool completely before storing in a glass jar.
Watch Viola Buitoni making fave dei morti cookies on our Instagram account @lacucinaitalianausa - Highlights section #HomeCookingLCI