Cucchitelle is a delicious sweet of Sciacca, a beautiful town in the province of Agrigento. They were created for the first time in 1380 by the nuns of a local monastery. They are considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the Sicilian confectionery.
TO MAKE ABOUT 30 CUCCHITELLE:
For the dough:
500 gr of almond fl our (alternatively almonds blend with 100 grams of sugar which must be removed from the dose) 400 grams of powdered sugar not vanilla 100 grams of flour 00 fine 3-4 egg whites or 1 whole egg and 1-2 egg whites
For the filling and the topping:
Cucuzzata (a traditional marmalade of pumpkins preserved in sugar with a few drops of lemon juice) 375 grams of powdered sugar, the tip of a teaspoon of cream of tartar, a few tablespoons of boiling water, beads, metallic silver seal
PREPARATION:
Pour into a large bowl almond fl our and sift in the icing sugar and fl our 00. Pour into 3 egg whites and begin to knead with your hands gripping the dough with your fingers to compact it well and if necessary add another egg white. Compact and knead a bit ‘. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for 18-24 hours. Once you rested, cut into pieces, leaving the dough in plastic wrap that you used. Take a piece and spread it thinly on the concave part of a spoon, doing so will form a dimple where we’re going to put a teaspoon of cucuzzata, Roll out the other dough and cover the fi lling, lining up the edges, pinching to seal and cut the excess dough with a sharp boxcutter, gently remove the dough from the spoon and put the various cucchiteddi on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Continue to the end of the mix. Bake in oven preheated to 160 to 170 degrees in the middle shelf until the cakes they are golden brown (about 20-25 minutes). Once cooked, place them on a wire rack to cool. Prepare the glaze by mixing cover the icing sugar with the cream of tartar and add a few tablespoons of boiling water to get a consistent and non-icing liquid. With this coating the surface of Cucchiteddi and let dry. Cover with some decoration to taste while the icing is still soft.
