Nociate, Pangiallo & Tozzetti: Baking 3 Roman Christmas Sweets with My Mom

A fun, heartwarming mother-daughter culinary adventure on 3 Roman (and regional) Christmas classics, directly from my mom's kitchen to yours.

There’s a thick, old, and funny-looking recipe notebook sitting in my mom’s pantry and it has been there since I was a little kid. I used to write made-up recipes which made no sense at all, sparking laughter for the whole family and I loved to add tiny little drawings of the food close to the ingredient lists. Hence, every time I open this notebook, tons of emotions come to life and I can’t help but smile.

So a few weeks ago I looked at the real recipes of my mom (not the chucklesome made-up ones from yours truly) and an idea popped into my mind: “I should share some of the recipes in here!” (after approval from mamma, obviously; that whole “secret recipe” is a true dealio here in Italy, so I double checked, you never know). Thus, camera and aprons in hand, my mom and I decided to focus on not just any Roman recipe, but three unique Christmas sweets preparations which on our festive tables are never missing. My grandma also took part in this, giving some suggestions, and making this post a real gem. But I won’t dwell any longer, let’s get to the recipes! Grab your apron and follow us, because we’re about to whip up some seriously delicious Roman festive treats.

NOCIATE

A true festive must-eat of Rome and province, the nociate are an essential, quick, and sweet bite to prepare in less than half an hour! You can either use walnuts (as my mom did) or hazelnuts. Crunchy and rich, get ready to eat them like popcorn.

INGREDIENTS: 200 grams of walnuts (or hazelnuts), 20/25 fresh bay leaves, and 100 grams of honey.

PREPARATION: warm up the honey in a little pan at low heat, then proceed to grind the walnuts (1); my mom kept the walnuts quite chunky using only a meat tenderizer, but you can mince them thinner as long as they don’t get powdery. Add the chopped-up walnuts to the honey and stir (2). Take a cutting board, and lay the mixture completely flat (1 centimeter thick) (3). Wash the bay leaves (4) and dry them completely with a kitchen towel. Take a teaspoon and lay little portions of the mixture to cover each leaf (5), this will require some time as your fingers will get a little sticky. Et voila, the classic (and very quick) nociate are ready to be served and enjoyed (6).

PANGIALLO

Dating back to ancient Rome, the pangiallo is another staple of Roman Christmas sweets. These little golden balls not only will stuff you thanks to the huge amount of dried fruit and nuts, but if eaten the day after you make them, they will taste even better!

INGREDIENTS for 4 Pangialli: 200 grams of whole almonds, lemon zest, 200 grams of walnuts, 200 grams of whole hazelnuts, 150 grams of chocolate, 50 grams of pine nuts, 100 grams of dried raisins, 200 grams of flour, and 200 grams of honey. (For the “icing”: flour, olive oil and saffron)

PREPARATION: warm up the honey in a little pan at low heat, then take a large bowl and start mixing the dried fruits and nuts (1), add coarsely cut chocolate (2), and mix well together (3). Add the warm honey (4) and slowly start to add the flour (5). Then it’s time to dig in! Either with your hands or a big ol’ spoon, knead the mixture until even and thick. If you see that it doesn’t stick together, add a little more honey or flour, until needed. Create well-rounded balls (6), a little less than the size of your hand, and let them rest for 30 minutes. Prepare the “icing” by pouring the flour in a different bowl, the oil (7,8), and a little bag of saffron (add some water to it before pouring it with the rest of the ingredients; my mom used an espresso cup filled with a bit of water) (8). Mix well (9,10) until smooth and soft. Take a kitchen brush and delicately “brush” the pangialli. Put them in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees. When the outside looks golden and crunchy then you know they have reached their perfect cooking point.

TOZZETTI

What I’m about to share with you is a genuinely exceptional recipe, as it is a staple that my mom likes to make throughout the year, but especially during Christmas. These biscotti are simply divine, fragrant, and perfect at any time of day: for breakfast in warm milk, in the afternoon with a hot tea, or after dinner with digestive liquors.

INGREDIENTS: 100 ml of milk, 1 table glass of sunflower oil, 4 whole eggs, 400 grams of sugar, half a sachet of baking powder, 100 grams of room temperature butter, 800 grams of flour, and 300 grams of hazelnuts.

PREPARATION: in a large bowl, add the milk, the eggs, the oil, the baking powder, the sugar, the butter, and the flour (1,2) then start working on the dough (3) using your hands. Add the hazelnuts (4), and knead the dough until smooth (5) (my mom adds flour by the eye during the kneading; for example, if the mixture is a little too sticky or in need of some firmness). Place the dough and work it into different sections and lay them on a spacious tray molding them with your hands (6), drizzle some sugar on top (7), and bake them in the oven for 20 minutes at 180° (8). When they are golden, take them out and cut the cooked dough creating the biscuits (9), position them on their sides (10), and bake them for an additional 5/10 minutes. Once beautifully golden, take them out and let them cool off (11).

My mom and I hope to see lots of your photos if you’re making these recipes! And if you need some help or have some questions just drop them in the comments. We wish you a fun baking experience and a lovely start of December!