Recipe: Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies (Rame di Napoli)

SICILIAN CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIES
(RAME DI NAPOLI)

"Rame di Napoli are spicy chocolate cookies prepared especially for the Day of the Dead, November 2, and are given to adults and children as a gift in memory of their deceased relatives. Even though the name suggests that these cookies are Neapolitan, they are in fact Sicilian because Sicily and Naples were once part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, lasting from 1815 until 1860. The capitals were Naples and Palermo. Rame means "copper," and these cookies were meant to resemble the copper coins that were minted to replace the gold and silver ones when the kingdom of Sicily was annexed to the Kingdom of Naples."



1 cup plain tea biscuit cookies, such as Stella D'Oro, ground into coarse crumbs
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
7/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed pistachio nuts

Put the cookie crumbs in a medium bowl and just barely cover them with milk. Allow them to sit and soak until the crumbs have absorbed the milk, then stir well until the mixture reaches a creamy consistency.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Add the milk-soaked crumbs to the mixture and combine well. Add more milk to the batter, a little at a time, and, using a wooden spoon, stir it until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thick paste, like that of pastry cream. The amount of milk added will depend on the type of cookies used, but should not be more than 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Look for a somewhat loose and creamy consistency that still holds its shape on a spoon and is not runny or liquid. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 1/4-cup measure or scoop to form the batter into rounds, spacing them 1-inch apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies appear dry. Remove them from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack. Begin making the glaze only when the cookies have cooled completely.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly. Once the chocolate has completely melted and the consistency is a thin liquid, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl.

Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, coating the surface evenly, and place them on cooling racks to dry. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with some of the pistachio nuts while the glaze is still warm, then cool completely.

Makes about 28 large cookies
Source: CIAO ITALIA: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy by Mary Ann Esposito. (Peter E Randall Publisher; November 1, 2018; $39.95/Hardcover, ISBN: 978-1942155171).