This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure.
Castagnelle are Italian Christmas cookies flavored with orange, almond, cinnamon, and a touch of cocoa. They’re crisp outside and chewy inside, and take their name from the fact that they look like chestnuts. These cookies are beautifully festive, and surprisingly easy to make!
Many moons ago, I lived next door to an Italian grandmother. She was lovely; funny, kind, thoughtful, and extremely generous, particularly with food and especially at Christmastime. And oh boy was she a wonderful baker! Every year she’d bring over trays of Italian Christmas cookies and every year I looked forward to Castagnelle. She told me that in her family, the consensus was that these are the best Christmas cookies.
If you want to try a festive cookie for the holidays, bookmark this recipe! It’s easier to make than you might think, and I have step-by-step instructional photos and a recipe video to guide you through the entire process. And it will transport you to Italy…or your favorite Italian grandma’s kitchen.
What Are Castagnelle?
Castagnelle, which means “chestnuts” in Italian (singular “castagna”) is a Christmas cookie from Puglia (aka Apulia) in southern Italy. These cookies don’t contain chestnut; they get their name because of their resemblance to chestnuts.
These festive Italian cookies are deliciously chewy inside and crisp outside with small crunchy bits of almond. Fresh orange zest, toasted almonds, warm cinnamon, rich cocoa, and a whisper of coffee might sound like an odd combination of flavors, but it’s what makes these cookies truly special. And somehow the flavors marry beautifully. These cookies go particularly well with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
If you love the orange almond flavor combination, I think these cookies will be a new favorite!
Why This Recipe Works
- The fragrant blend of flavors is magic. The fresh, bright flavor of orange zest perfectly accents nutty toasted almonds. Sweet cinnamon laces them with the warmth of spice. Cocoa and coffee are both used in small amounts, so they don’t stand out; they add depth of flavor and nuanced notes. The main flavors that simultaneously shine in the forefront and blend together are orange, almond, and lastly cinnamon.
- These couldn’t be easier to make. A lot of Christmas baking recipes in general and cookies in particular get a bad rap for being hard and/or time consuming to make. Not these! The dough comes together in minutes, and there’s no need to chill it. And thanks to a generous coating of powdered sugar, patting out the dough is a breeze – you won’t even need your rolling pin!
- If you don’t want to make a huge batch of cookies, this recipe is scaled down to make just 1 tray. On the other hand, it’s easy to scale up if you’re making them for a Christmas cookie exchange or a holiday party dessert!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Blanched, toasted almonds – Blanched almonds are regular almonds with their brown skins removed. You can find blanched almonds on Amazon, or easily blanch almonds at home. To do so, soak almonds in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain, rinse under cold water, and slip the skins off. After blanching, dry the almonds and toast them to enhance their nutty flavor and aroma.
- Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and helps create the perfect chewy texture.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour here.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – We only use a touch of cocoa powder in these cookies because the main flavors are orange and almond. The cocoa adds depth, but you might not be able to pick out the flavor of chocolate in this recipe.
- Baking powder – This is the leavening agent in our cookies. It helps create the perfect texture.
- Cinnamon – Earthy, warm, sweet cinnamon adds the perfect spice level.
- Salt – Salt brings out all the other flavors and seasons the cookies so they’re not bland.
- Fresh orange zest – Don’t skimp on the orange zest, it adds lovely bright flavor and aroma to these cookies.
- Hot espresso – Or you can use double-strength brewed coffee.
- Vanilla extract – For another layer of flavor.
- Whole milk – Or any type of unflavored milk you have on hand.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar makes easy work of rolling the cookie dough into logs and patting it out. It also adds a beautiful festive look.
How to Make Castagnelle Pugliesi
1: Make the Cookie Dough
To start, toast the blanched almonds. Preheat the oven to 350F. To toast the almonds, spread them out onto a baking tray and bake until they’re light golden and aromatic, about 10 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through. Let the nuts cool to until they’re lukewarm. (While the nuts cool, brew the espresso or coffee and measure out the other ingredients.)
- Add the toasted almonds to a food processor and process until finely chopped (but don’t turn it into almond flour!).
- Add the sugar and pulse 2 times, then add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and pulse until combined.
- Add the orange zest, espresso, vanilla, and milk.
- Process until it forms dough.
2: Shape and Bake the Cookies
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
- Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar onto your countertop or work surface, and roll each portion of dough into a rope about 9 to 10 inches long. Slightly flatten each rope, and then cut them on the diagonal into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces.
- Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray (leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch between each cookie).
- Bake until the cookies are dry to the touch and look set, but an indentation remains when you lightly push the tops, about 12 to 14 minutes at 350F. Cool completely. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon powdered sugar on top. Serve.
Storage
Once they’re cool, store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Tips For Success
- For even deeper flavor and subtle notes of caramel and molasses, use 1/2 cup granulated white sugar plus 1/4 cup light brown sugar.
- With 1/4 cup of espresso or double-strength coffee, this recipe does have a bit of caffeine in it. (That 1/4 cup of espresso gets divided into 36 cookies, so it’s really not a lot.) However, you can use decaf coffee if you prefer.
- Instead of using a food processor to make the cookie dough, you can easily mix it up by hand. The key is to make sure the almonds are finely chopped because you don’t want large pieces of nuts in these cookies.
- To make these cookies vegan, simply use your favorite unflavored plant-based, non-dairy milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These cookies will keep for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, so you don’t have to worry about refrigeration. Also, they’re small and sturdy, which makes them less likely to break in transit.
Instead of almonds, I’ve successfully used hazelnuts in these cookies, just make sure to remove their skins.
I find that the easiest way to remove hazelnut skin is the oven method. To do so, toast the hazelnuts in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. After that, transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel, wrapping them in the towel so they steam. Let the nuts sit for a couple minutes, then rub them with the towel to remove as many of the skins as possible (a few skins left are fine).
These cookies are finished baking when they feel dry to the touch and look set, but they feel soft when pressed. Be careful not to over-bake because they will set more as they cool.
More Christmas Cookies From Around the World
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Castagnelle Recipe (Italian Orange Almond Christmas Cookies)
Email This Recipe
Get this recipe link emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 150 grams blanched almonds (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1/4 cup hot espresso (or double-strength brewed coffee)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk (or any type of unflavored milk you like)
- 5 tablespoons powdered sugar (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. To toast the almonds, spread them out onto a baking tray and bake until they’re light golden and aromatic, about 10 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through. Let the nuts cool to until they’re lukewarm. (While the nuts cool, brew the espresso or coffee and measure out the other ingredients.)
- Add the toasted almonds to a food processor and process until finely chopped (but don’t turn it into almond flour!). Add the sugar and pulse 2 times, then add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and pulse until combined. Add the orange zest, espresso, vanilla, and milk, and process until it forms dough.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar onto your countertop or work surface, and roll each portion of dough into a rope about 9 to 10 inches long. Slightly flatten each rope, and then cut them on the diagonal into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces.
- Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray (leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch between each cookie). Bake until the cookies are dry to the touch and look set, but an indentation remains when you lightly push the tops, about 12 to 14 minutes at 350F.
- Cool completely. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon powdered sugar on top. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 36 cookies, or 12 servings. Each serving is 3 cookies.
- Storage: Once they’re cool, store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
- Vegan Friendly: To make these cookies vegan, use your favorite unflavored plant-based, non-dairy milk.
- Brown Sugar: For even deeper flavor and subtle notes of caramel and molasses, use 1/2 cup granulated white sugar plus 1/4 cup light brown sugar.
- Caffeine: With 1/4 cup of espresso or double-strength coffee, this recipe does have a bit of caffeine in it. (That 1/4 cup of espresso gets divided into 36 cookies, so it’s really not a lot.) However, you can use decaf coffee if you prefer.
- If You Don’t Have a Food Processor: Instead of using a food processor to make the cookie dough, you can easily mix it up by hand. The key is to make sure the almonds are finely chopped because you don’t want large pieces of nuts in these cookies.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
