Cavallucci di Siena are cookies/ biscuits typical of the Tuscan city, with a peculiar history and with a surprising flavor due to a mix of spices.

With an ungainly appearance, but a surprising flavour, Cavallucci di Siena are the typical dessert of the Tuscan city. Their recipe has been handed down for centuries and is the result of the mixing between traditional Tuscan ingredients and the spices that the caravans brought from the East.

Typically served during Christmas holiday they are good all winter.

Their name comes from the first place where they spread: in the post office, where a time horses were changed, the horsemen used to eat them and offer them to travelers (including horses).

In our recipe we prepared these cookies/biscuits with flour, sugar, nuts, honey, candied orange, anise, cinnamon.

There are many recipes and every baker has  their own secret ingredient.We offer you here the recipe of a friend and we tasted it we liked it a lot.

Bake them yourselves and enjoy the result with a glass of Vin Santo.

Ingredients

550g=3.92 cups 00Flour/all purpose flour/plain flour

350g=1 ½ cup Sugar

60g =1/2 cup Chopped walnut kernels

30g = 1 oz. Candied orange cut into cubes

30g=1 oz. candied citron cut into cubes

50g=0.147(approx.1/4 )US cup Honey

80 gr. a= approx. 1/3 cup water

10 gr.=1 1/8 tbsp. powdered spices (50% coriander, 8 anise seeds, 20% cinnamon, 10% nutmeg)

5 g = 1 tbsp. ammonium bicarbonate

Powdered /icing sugar

Cloves optional

Preparation

In a bowl mix the flour with the crushed anise seeds and roughly chopped walnuts, the candied orange and lemon cut into small cubes, the spices mix and ammonium bicarbonate.

Melt the sugar in a saucepan with the honey and water.

Cook it until it is completely melted and begins to string (syrup) It should not caramelize or brown.

Pour the syrup into the bowl with the flour, mix ingredients with a spoon.

Then form 12 balls (about 5 cm =1,9 inch in diameter and 2-2.5 cm=1 inch thick), working with floured hands (the mixture is a bit sticky)

 Flatten them in the center with two fingers

 Place the balls well spaced on a baking tray covered with baking paper and dust them with a little flour.

Bake at 150-160 °C=320°F for about 20 minutes.

Take the cavallucci out of the oven and leave them to cool down

Whenever you bake with ammonium leave the final result to cool so the possible ammonium smell will disappear.

And then bite these beautiful Cavallucci and -if you like-sprinkle them with powdered sugar/icing sugar.

If you like the taste of mixed spices remember it is common in many other cookies/biscuits baked in Italy and many other countries especially for festivities, probably because traditionally spices were expensive. For example Mustaccioli (here the recipe) and Rococo.

Cavallucci have the same consistency for many days but when they become hard warm them up a little bit.

 Buone Feste Good Holidays