Dessert

Castagnole Fritte (Italian Carnival Fritters)

February 17, 2021 by Marisa 31 Comments

Castagnole Fritte, Italian Carnival Fritters are sweet, deep fried dough balls. These Italian-style fritters are lemon scented and rolled in granulated sugar while still warm for an extra sweet bite!

Although immensely popular during Carnival season in Italy, these Italian fritters always made an appearance up until our Easter holiday.

Lemon was the choice of flavour for both my parents and the only way dad would eat them. Simply because, they evoked memories of his own mamma whipping up batches of these castagnole with their very familiar lemon scent.

They were typically served on a large platter, piled high, and these sweet carnival fritters would disappear in a flash.

Italian Carnival Fritters

In Italy, there’s no shortage of deep fried treats during Carnival season! They’re the quintessential party snack during these festivities!

You’ll find many variations of fluffy, deep fried dough balls. Both sweet and savoury fritters. Their names will also vary depending on which part of Italy one hails from.

Unlike the popular Zeppole doughnuts with ricotta, these castagnole fritte are leavened with yeast.

They require a teeny bit more work and of course there’s also the rising time to factor in, but they are so worth it in my opinion.

However, if a yeasted dough is not your thing then consider trying some Italian Orange Frittelle: Fried Dough Balls. There’s not much hands on time to these sweet fritters. They are orange scented and partially made with finely ground almonds.

All are soft on the inside! Slightly crunchy on the outside! And totally irresistible!

How To Make Italian Castagnole Fritte

Step One: Place a half cup if warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let this stand until the yeast turns frothy, for about 10 minutes. Then stir to dissolve.

Step Two: Add in 1 cup of flour, a pinch of salt and stir the mixture until you have a soft batter.

Step 3: Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside, for 30 minutes, in a draft free area of your kitchen.

You’ll notice that the dough will expand after the first initial 30 minutes of rising time.

Step 4: Add the remaining flour, sugar, beaten eggs, zest, butter and vanilla extract to your bowl with the proofed dough. Mix with a wooden spoon till well incorporated. Then transfer the dough to a work surface and knead by hand for about 6 minutes.

You can also knead the dough directly in the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment for about 3 minutes.

When ready it will pull away from the sides of the bowl and will be soft, smooth and slightly tacky.

Step 5: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm draft free area for about 1 and a half to 2 hours. Or until doubled in size.

Step 6: Once Doubled in size, transfer the dough onto a work surface, lightly press it down with your hands and knead the dough for about 1 minute.

Step 7: Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough out into an 18 inch long rope. Then slice each long rope into 1 inch pieces and transfer the cut pieces onto a lightly floured baking sheet.

You can leave the pieces as is or, to make rounder dough balls, gently roll each piece of dough between the palms of your hands.

Deep Frying Italian Sweet Dough Balls

Pour 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil in a stock pot.
Heat to 375 degrees F.
Deep fry the fritters till golden on all sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer the fried dough balls to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain off any excess oil.

All that’s left to do before enjoying these sweet carnival fritters is to roll them in granulated sugar while still warm.

How Long Do Castagnole Fritte Stay Fresh

Like any deep fried doughnut, they’re at their best eaten the same day while still warm and soft because they get slightly drier after a day or two.

However, 10 seconds in the microwave will quickly soften them up again.

How to Serve Castagnole Fritte

Although wonderful all on their own while rolled in some granulated sugar, you can also fill them with your favourite jams. Nutella or other chocolate spreads would also be a delicious choice.

To fill these sweet fritters start by poking a hole in the doughnut.
Place the jam in a piping bag that is fitted with a round tip. Pipe in up to 1 teaspoon of filling into each doughnut.

Alternately, you can also fill the doughnuts with custard or even some lemon curd.

Or opt out of the filling and top them with a drizzle of some good quality chocolate spread and don’t forget the Carnival sprinkles!

And one can never go wrong with a luscious drizzle of honey over these sweet dough balls.

Whichever way you serve them, they’re sure to disappear in a flash!

And if you love doughnuts as much as I do and have some canned pumpkin lying around, you may want to try these easy to make Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)

Happy Baking!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This post was originally published March 23, 2016 and republished February 17, 2021 with updated photos and content.

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5 from 1 vote

Castagnole Fritte (Italian Carnival Fritters)

Castagnole Fritte are Italian sweet fritters. These sweet deep fried dough balls are rolled in granulated sugar and traditionally served this way but you can also fill them with jam or custard. Or simply drizzle with your favourite dark chocolate.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: carnival fritter, Castagnole Fritte, doughnuts, fritter

Servings: doughtnuts

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

8 g active dry yeast 1 envelope
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 cups all purpose flour
generous pinch of salt I used fine sea salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten (room temperature)
2 tablespoons lemon zest from 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
vegetable or canola oil for deep frying
3/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling approximately

Instructions

Sprinkle the yeast in a bowl containing 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and let this sit for a 10 minutes, till frothy, then stir to dissolve.
Add in 1 cup of the flour, a pinch of salt and stir till you get a soft batter. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let this sit for about 30 minutes.
Next, stir in the remaining flour, sugar, the lightly beaten eggs, lemon zest, butter and vanilla extract. Mix well.
If kneading by hand: Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for about 6 minutes. The dough should be soft, smooth and just a little bit sticky.
If using a stand mixer: Knead the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for about 3 minutes. When ready the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and feel somewhat tacky.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl.
Cover with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a warm draft free place for 1 to 1 ½ hours. The dough will double in volume.
When ready transfer the dough to a work surface, lightly punch it down with your hands and knead it for about 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Keep the dough covered with a clean dishcloth while working with 1 piece of dough at a time. (this will keep the dough from drying out)
Roll each piece of dough out into approximately an 18 inch long rope. (keep covered with clean dish cloth)
Cut each rope into one inch pieces and roll each piece of dough in the palm of your hands for rounder shapes.
Place the dough balls onto a lightly floured baking sheet. (keep covered)
Pour 2 inches of oil in a medium sized sauce pan or dutch oven and heat to 375* degrees. (use a deep frying thermometer for accuracy)
When the oil has reached 375 degrees F, carefully drop in about 6 pieces of dough at a time. (This will also depend on the size of your sauce pan). Don't over crowd them.
When the fritters are golden on one side, flip over to the other side.
Once golden brown on both sides, use a slotted spoon and drain the castagnole on paper towels.
Roll the castagnole in granulated sugar turning to coat all over.
Serve while still warm, piled high on a serving platter.
For a festive Carnival appeal you can drizzle them with warm melted chocolate and top with sprinkles.

Notes

Temperature for deep frying castagnole

When deep frying the fritters try to keep the temperature of the oil at 375 degrees F. At this temperature they'll absorb minimal oil. If too hot they will over brown on the outside and will be raw on the inside.

Deep frying a small batch of 6 pieces at a time should take about 2 minutes approximately.

Reheating leftovers

As with any deep fried fritters, they're at their best served while still warm.

However, any leftovers can be heated in the microwave for about 10 seconds, a few at a time.

They'll turn out soft, fluffy and just as yummy as freshly made.

Nutrition

Chocolate Cranberry Twist Star Bread

December 15, 2020 by Marisa 33 Comments

Learn how to make a spectacular Chocolate Cranberry Twist Star Bread that is sure to impress family and friends. This homemade sweet bread is loaded with walnuts, dried cranberries and dark chocolate pieces with some aromatic cinnamon flavour in every bite.

There is something so magical by taking a few simple ingredients, which you probably already have on hand and transforming them into an incredibly delicious sweet bread.

In texture this yeast based dough recipe is much like an Italian Panettone but not as dry on the inside. It’s fluffier and more brioche-like!

The filling is a chocolate, cranberry and walnut mixture that once rolled into the dough creates a pretty swirl into each slice.

Alternately you can also spread it with your favourite jam. I’m thinking raspberry jam and then sprinkled with some mini dark chocolate chips would work really well here.

Another wonderful option is Nutella, everyone’s favourite Italian chocolate hazelnut spread!

The Inspiration for this Holiday Star Bread

The inspiration for this gorgeous and delicious holiday bread comes from an old Canadian Living Magazine recipe that I’ve been making for well over 20 years.

I would usually make this sweet bread by slicing and braiding the filled dough into a wreath shape. It was then baked in a springform pan and would greatly resemble a fancy Panettone.

This year I decided to switch it up by tweaking the ingredients and shaping the dough to resemble a star bread. I have to say it did not disappoint at all!

It not only makes a beautiful presentation but…è semplicemente delizioso…it’s simply delicious!

Drizzled with icing or a simple dusting of powdered sugar, this sweet bread makes a spectacular centrepiece for the holidays!

Or just enjoy it on a crispy-cold day, curled up in front of the fireplace with a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

How to make a Chocolate Cranberry Twist Star Bread

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a slightly floured work surface.
Divide the dough into four equal portions.
Work with one piece at a time while keeping the remaining pieces covered with cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Roll out a piece of dough to an 8 to 10 inch circle. ( This will depend on the size of your largest baking sheet as you’ll need some growing space of 2 inches more)
Transfer the rolled out dough to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Spread a third of the filling over the dough, pressing it slightly into the surface of the dough.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon over the filling.
Repeat this with the second and third piece of dough.
Then roll out the fourth piece of dough and place it over the 3rd stack of dough. (this one will have NO filling on top)

Once your dough is all rolled out, filled and stacked you are ready to slice into wedges.
First, place a round cookie cutter or glass of about 2 and a quarter inch wide over the centre of the stacked dough.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough all the way through into four equal edges while leaving the cookie cutter or glass in place.

Cut each of the 4 wedges in half making sure to slice all the way through. You now have 8 wedges.
Then cut each of the 8 wedges in half all the way through. You now have 16 wedges all connected to the middle circle.
You’re now ready to twist the wedges.

How to Twist the Chocolate Cranberry Star Bread

This part is a lot easier than it may look.
Grab hold of two pieces of dough that are side by side.
Lift and twist the wedges away from each other, making two whole twists and pinch the edges to seal.
Repeat with the remaining wedges to form the star bread.
Cover with cling wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

After the star bread dough has risen for 30 minutes, remove the cling wrap and gently brush the top and sides with a beaten egg.
Bake in the centre of a preheated oven (350*F), for 20 minutes.
When ready the star bread will have a deep golden brown colour.

This star bread with its filling of chocolate, cranberries and walnuts is a thing of beauty all on its own.

I love it as is with a light dusting of powdered sugar and usually serve it while still warm with the filling all ooey and gooey.

But if you prefer a little extra sweetness you can also serve it with a drizzle of icing.

Two Ingredient quick and easy Icing

For the icing, mix together 1/3 cup of sifted icing sugar with 2 teaspoons of milk.

Drizzle the icing over the top of the star bread.

The bread is at it’s best served the same day while it’s still warm, but can also be wrapped and stored for one day.

Any leftovers the next day, can be portioned out wrapped in paper towels and warmed in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. It will come out tasting like it had just been freshly baked!

Happy Baking!

This recipe was originally posted November 7, 2015 and republished with updated photos and content December 15, 2020.

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0 from 0 votes

Chocolate Cranberry Twist Star Bread

This Chocolate Cranberry Star Bread recipe makes a show stopping centrepiece for the holidays. It's studded with walnuts, cranberries and dark chocolate pieces. All it needs before serving is a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Cranberry Twist Star Bread

Servings:

Calories: 377kcal

Ingredients

For The Filling

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 teaspoons cinnamon

For Brushing Over The Star Bread

1 beaten egg

For Dusting Over The Star Bread

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Making The Star Bread Dough

In a large bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon of the sugar in warm water.
Sprinkle in the yeast and let it stand for 10 minutes or until it turns frothy.
In the meantime, place the milk, remaining sugar, butter and salt in a small pot over a stove top.
Heat the mixture over medium heat and stir till the butter melts.
Set aside and let cool to lukewarm temperature.
Whisk the eggs into the yeast mixture.
Add in the milk mixture and whisk again.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the 3 ¾ cups of flour. (the dough will be slightly sticky)
Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with flour.
Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes, while adding in enough of the 1/4 cup of flour as needed to achieve a smooth and elastic dough.
Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and turn the dough to grease all over.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a draft free area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Chocolate, Cranberry and Walnut Filling

Prepare the filling just before you're ready to roll out the dough.
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup, cranberries, chocolate pieces and walnuts.
Keep in mind that this mixture will be used to spread over 3 of the rolled out doughs. The top 4th dough will not have any filling.
Set aside while you quarter and roll out the dough.

Rolling And Shaping The Star Bread

First off, punch down the dough and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Work with 1 piece at a time while keeping the remaining pieces covered with cling wrap.
On a lightly floured work surface and dusted rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough to an 8 to 10 inch circle. (This will depend on the size of your largest baking sheet as you'll need some growing space of about 2 inches more)
Transfer the rolled out dough to a parchment lined cookie sheet. (use a very large baking sheet)
Spread a third of the filling over the dough while pressing down lightly into the dough. (It gets messy and sticky but works out well. Simply wash your hands in between rolling the next round of dough.)
Sprinkle one teaspoon of cinnamon over the filling.
Roll out the second piece of dough and place directly over the first.
Top with some of the filling and sprinkle with another teaspoon of cinnamon.
Repeat with the third piece of dough. Roll out and place directly over the second round of dough,
Spread with the remaining filling and cinnamon.
Roll out the fourth piece of dough and place it over the third while pressing down gently. (this one will not have any filling over it)
Now we are ready to slice.
First, place a round cookie cutter or glass of about 2 ¼ inch wide over the centre of the stacked star bread.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough all the way through into four equal wedges while leaving the cookie cutter or glass in place.
Cute each wedge into 2 equal pieces while cutting all the way through. So now you have 8 pieces.
Cut each of the 8 pieces in half. And now you end up with 16 wedges all connected to the middle circle.
We are now ready to twist the wedges.
Grab hold of two wedges of dough that are side-by-side.
Twist the wedges away from each other making two whole twists and pinch the edges to seal.
Repeat with the remaining wedges to form the star bread.
Cover the star bread loosely with cling wrap and set aside in a draft free area for 30 minutes to rise slightly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush the star bread with the beaten egg.
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes.
When ready, the star bread will have a deep golden brown colour.
Let rest for about 30 minutes on a cooling rack.
Then serve while still warm from the oven topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Nutrition

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

December 3, 2020 by Marisa 29 Comments

These Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti get a lovely lemony kick from both the lemon zest and one of Italy’s favourite liqueur, Limoncello.

They’re studded with dried wild blueberries, almonds and pure white chocolate chips then drizzled with more melted white chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you’ll probably know quite well my love affair with biscotti.

Not only are they extremely easy to make and perfect for a novice baker, you can mix and match different flavours and ingredients to suit your tastes.

They are also far lower in fat than other traditional cookies and keep extremely well in an air tight container for a week or so. Although at my house they disappear ever so quickly!

These twice baked biscotti make perfect little dunkers for a morning cup of freshly brewed coffee or a hot cup of tea to while away a lazy afternoon.

They’re also equally wonderful served alongside a scoop or two of lemon granita! It makes for one indulgent after dinner dessert.

Similarly to my Chocolate Anise Biscotti, these are light and airy with a tender bite and extremely tooth friendly. Unless you happen to be a certain 11 year old boy entering a tooth transition period.

Désolé Guillaume, j’espère que la fée des dents a fait preuve de grande générosité…sorry Guillaume, I truly hope the tooth fairy was quite generous with you!

How To Make Blueberry Lemon Biscotti with Almonds

First off, you don’t need any special equipment. Have ready one large mixing bowl to combine the dry ingredients and a lightly smaller one for the wet ingredients.

Also a wooden spoon, a whisk and a zester.

And of course a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Now we’re ready to start this easy biscotti recipe.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, dried blueberries and chocolate chips.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the limoncello.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the biscotti dough is thoroughly combined. Or until there are no white flour specks visible.
Transfer the biscotti dough to a floured work surface.
Divide into 2 equal portions.

Working with dusted hands and work surface, roll one portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
Transfer the logs to your prepared baking sheet.
Brush each log with beaten egg white.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Let the biscotti logs cool for about 10 to 15 minutes for easy slicing.
Transfer one log at a time on a cutting board and with a sharp knife, slice into 3/4 inch slices.
Return the sliced biscotti onto the baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling with the melted chocolate.

How to Melt Chocolate in the Microwave

When ready, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 15 second intervals while taking care it doesn’t burn.
Stir in between intervals.
For easy drizzling, thin out the chocolate by stirring in about a 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Or just enough till you achieve a drizzling consistency.
Finally, drizzle the biscotti with the melted chocolate and allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Alternately you can use a double burner to melt the chocolate.

The lemon zest coupled with the Limoncello liqueur imparts a lovely infusion of citrus flavor and accentuates the sweetness of the blueberries. However, you can absolutely replace the liqueur with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Although delicious all on their own, try drizzling some melted white chocolate for some extra love. But really its totally optional!

A note on Vanilla Sugar

My intent was to use regular granulated sugar as I normally do when making biscotti. I then remembered the jar of Homemade Vanilla Sugar way back in my pantry.

As I slowly popped the lid a heady scent of sweet vanilla permeated the air around me and I knew at that moment that I simply had to use it in my Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti recipe.

The aroma of homemade vanilla sugar is absolutely heavenly!

And while you can use the store bought variety nothing ever beats homemade in my opinion.

Happy baking dear friends!

This post was originally published August 5, 2017 and republished December 3, 2020 with new content and photos.

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4 from 1 vote

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti, scented with one of Italy's favorite liqueur, Limoncello. Packed with wild dried blueberries, white chocolate chips and then drizzled with more melted chocolate for some extra sweetness in every bite.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time25 mins

10 minutes resting time15 mins

Course: Biscotti

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: amond biscotti, lemon biscotti, wild blueberry

Servings: biscotti

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds finely ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
3/4 cup dried wild blueberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
zest of 1 large lemon about 1 heaping tablespoon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of Limoncello liqueur you can substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice
lightly beaten egg white from one egg for brushing the logs
1/2 cup white chocolate melted (for drizzling)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, finely ground almonds, baking powder, salt, wild blueberries and chocolate chips.
Stir and set aside.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar, melted butter, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract and Limoncello liqueur.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon till thoroughly combined.
Transfer the biscotti dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide in two.
Dust hands with flour and roll 1 portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.
Brush each log with the beaten egg white.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally to about 3/4 inch pieces.
Place the sliced biscotti upright on the baking sheet and return to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes or till golden brown in color.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate in microwave safe bowl then thin it with a little bit of vegetable oil for easy drizzling.
Drizzle the biscotti with the melted white chocolate and allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Nutrition

Homemade Vanilla Sugar

November 28, 2020 by Marisa 18 Comments

Learn how to make your own homemade vanilla sugar to use in your favourite cookie recipes or other baked goods. All you need is some granulated sugar, a fresh vanilla bean and a few minutes of your time. So easy!

I think that it’s pretty safe to say that this is by far the easiest recipe you’ll find here on the blog. And one that can be prepared in mere minutes too!

Over the years it has become a staple ingredient in my kitchen. Especially around the holidays. So I always make sure to prepare some way ahead of my baking projects because it needs this valuable time for the flavours to infuse.

In doing so, you’ll be rewarded with the most incredibly fragrant sugar speckled with the little black seeds of the vanilla bean.

What is Vanilla Sugar?

Vanilla sugar is simply that! Two ingredients consisting of just regular granulated sugar infused with the seeds of a vanilla bean.

It’s a simple process of splitting the bean across the pod and extracting the caviar-like seeds and then incorporating the seeds with the sugar.

The hollowed out bean pod is given new life by burying it deep into the sugar mixture to enhance the sweet essence of the vanilla flavour for months to come.

Did You Know?

Did you know that vanilla beans are the second most expensive spice right after saffron? And that’s because vanilla beans are extremely labor-intensive to grow.

Having said that, it’s still widely used from professional chefs to home cooks all over the world as it’s such a versatile spice.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans

Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans have nothing to do with “bourbon” the alcohol.

The Bourbon vanilla gets its name from Île Bourbon which is now known as Réunion, the region where these long and slender beans were cultivated, cured and also grow in Madagascar and other Islands along the Indian Ocean.

They are by far the most popular and sought after vanilla beans.

They’re moist, pliable and with a sweet buttery scent, making them simply perfect to bake with.

Although the Madagascar bourbon variety is my favourite you can just as easily substitute it with the Tahitian or Mexican vanilla beans.

How to make Vanilla Infused Sugar

With a sharp pairing knife, slice open the vanilla bean along its length.
Spread the bean apart and use the back of a knife to scrape out the seeds.
Combine the sugar and vanilla seeds together in a bowl.
Stir together the 2 ingredients until well dispersed.
You can do this with 2 rubber spatulas. Simply rub together the sugar and vanilla seeds with the spatulas to release the larger clumps.
Alternately, you can also place the sugar and vanilla seeds in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds till thoroughly combined.
Transfer the vanilla sugar into an airtight container and bury the pod deeply into the sugar.

Over time the Vanilla Sugar becomes more and more fragrant. So go ahead and make it a couple of weeks in advance before you start your holiday baking.

Tip of the day: When a recipe calls for the seeds of a vanilla bean, don’t discard the pod.

Rather, give it new life by adding it to your vanilla sugar canister, as this will help to maintain the flavour of your vanilla sugar and refreshes it at the same time.

And continue filling the canister with more granulated sugar as the quantity depletes.

What is Vanilla Sugar Used For?

Vanilla sugar can be utilized in various ways.

You can use it to sweeten coffee or tea and even use it in your next baking adventure. And yes even savoury recipes!

My favourite way of using vanilla sugar is rolling some raspberry filled Butterball Cookies into the vanilla infused sugar. It adds such a sparkly appeal to these buttery cookies.

I also love using it in my Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti. The vanilla sugar lends such a wonderful warm fragrance to the twice baked cookies and pairs wonderfully with the white chocolate chips and dried blueberries.

Need a gift idea? You can fill decorative glass jars or bottles with the homemade vanilla sugar. And you can then gift decorated jars to guests as a “sweet” way of saying thank-you. Pun intended!

This Homemade Vanilla Sugar recipe was originally published December 2, 2015 and republished November 28, 2020 with new photos and content.

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Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Prep Time5 mins

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Servings: cups

Calories: 780kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 Vanilla Bean
2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Slice the Vanilla Bean down the middle from end to end with a sharp knife.
Using the back of the knife, scrape out the seeds.
Combine the sugar with the vanilla seeds in a medium size bowl and stir until the vanilla seeds are well dispersed.
Alternately, you can use a food processor to speed this up even quicker.
Transfer to an airtight container and bury the pods deeply in the vanilla sugar.
It can be stored indefinitely.
Use in your favorite coffee, tea or desserts.

Nutrition

Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti

November 13, 2020 by Marisa 4 Comments

A fun and delicious recipe for Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti topped with sugar granules. These orange scented, once baked biscotti are made with pasta frolla, which is basically an Italian sweet pastry dough. It renders these Italian filled cookies ever so tender with a crumbly bite.

As family and friends know me well…I LOVE to bake cookies. As you can attest to the many cookie recipes on my blog! So it’s pretty safe to say that this is my favourite time of the year.

These pre-holiday days are a prelude to all the sweet delectable treats just waiting to happen.

So when recently a colleague of mine asked if I had a Nutella cookie recipe…well I knew it wouldn’t be long before one made an appearance here!

These hazelnut biscotti filled with Nutella stand apart from the more traditional twice baked variety.

For one, they’re made with an Italian sweet pastry dough. This type of dough is often used in Italian baking to make crostata, tarts and even cookies.

It’s quite easy to make and you can use a stand mixer, a food processor or simply your hands.

Also, notably different is that the dough is rolled out flat, spread with Nutella, re-rolled into a log and baked once.

Let me tell you friends…the Nutella filling makes for one heavenly hazelnut biscotti recipe.

You’ll find the Nutella’s unique creaminess makes it a perfect spreadable concoction over this rolled out biscotti dough.

How to Make Pasta Frolla for Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Cookies

Place the flour, finely ground hazelnuts, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer.
With the paddle attachment stir to combine.
Alternately, you can use a food processor to follow the same directions. Simply pulse to combine.

Add in the cold cubed butter.
With the paddle attachment, mix on medium low speed until you achieve a coarse sandy consistency. If there’s a few larger pieces that’s ok.

Mix in the slightly beaten eggs along with both the vanilla and amaretto extracts until well combined.
You will have a soft workable dough ready to be divided into two fairly equal portions.

How to Shape Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti

To shape and fill these Italian rolled cookies is really quite simple.

You’ll need a rolling pin and two sheets of wax or parchment paper to easily shape and roll the stuffed biscotti.

Also have ready a parchment lined cookie sheet standing nearby so you can easily transfer the biscotti logs onto the baking sheet.

Now we’re ready to roll these Italian chocolate filled cookies!

Divide the biscotti dough into 2 portions.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, keep the other piece covered with cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
On a work surface, roll out the piece of dough between two sheets of wax paper to approximately 12 inches long, six inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of wax paper while leaving the bottom sheet underneath the rolled dough. (you’ll be using it to help roll the biscotti log)
Spread some Nutella over the rolled out dough to about a half inch off the edges.

How to Roll Nutella Biscotti

Start rolling the log from the longest width with the help of the wax paper underneath it by lifting the paper up and easing the dough over the Nutella.
Continue rolling by hanging on to the wax paper as you roll.
Seal the edges by pinching the dough together and tucking them underneath.
With the help of the wax paper, lift and transfer the logs onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.
Make sure to leave enough room between the 2 logs because they will spread out somewhat.

Brush the biscotti logs with the beaten egg white. This helps the decorative sugar granules to adhere and gives the Nutella biscotti a lovely sheen.
Alternately, you can substitute the decorative granular sugar with Sanding or Turbinado sugar or not.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 35 minutes.
The Nutella biscotti will be golden brown in colour when ready and will feel firm to the touch.

This is a delicate dough so you’ll need to allow the Nutella cookies sufficient time to cool off before slicing.

I let them cool off by placing the cookie tray directly over a cooling rack for about 20 to 30 minutes.

This way you’ll get nice neat cuts when slicing the cookies.

I wouldn’t recommend a serrated knife for these rolled cookies because they’ll easily break apart.

Do use a sharp sturdy knife with the tip pointed downwards to make swift fluid cuts.

Also, you can slice them at a diagonal or straight up. Diagonally cut biscotti will yield more of an elongated shaped cookie. It’s just a matter of preference!

What can I use instead of Nutella

If you’re not a fan of Nutella…well we might just have to reconsider our friendship!

But all kidding aside, you can replace the Nutella for any chocolate spread of your choice. And nowadays that’s saying a lot as there are so many to choose from.

Peanut butter would also work and is just wonderful in these Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti.

Jams also make a perfect substitute and is my choice when baking Italian Bocconotti Cookies which are also made with an Italian pastry dough.

How Long Do Biscotti Keep

Because of the higher fat content in these Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti they’ll have a shorter shelf life then ones made with a little or no fat.

Biscotti with no fat, such as butters or oils, tend to keep for about a month in an airtight container. Whereas ones with little fat content usually keep for about 2 weeks.

These Nutella filled biscotti are at their freshest stored in an airtight container for up to one week for optimal flavour. However, at my house they only last a few days.

They’re all perfectly delicious and perfectly dunkable.

Happy Baking!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti

A fun and delicious recipe for Nutella and hazelnut rolled biscotti topped with sugar granules. These orange scented, once baked biscotti are made with a shortcrust pastry dough and have a tender crumbly bite.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Resting time20 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti

Servings:

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

2¼ cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole roasted hazelnuts (see notes below) finely ground
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
orange zest from a medium size orange
3/4 cup cold butter cubbed
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon amaretto extract

Biscotti Filling

2/3 cup Nutella or any hazelnut spread of choice

Topping for Biscotti

beaten egg white from a large egg
1/2 cup sugar granules optional

Instructions

Place the flour, hazelnuts, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest directly in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine.
Add in the cubed butter and mix together till you get a sandy texture.
Mix in the beaten eggs and extracts until well combined and you have a soft workable dough.
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.
Work with one piece at a time while keeping the other covered.
Place one piece of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to approximately 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. And, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
Remove the top parchment paper while keeping the bottom one in place.
Spread half of the Nutella over the dough till about a 1/2 inch from the edge.
Gently start rolling the log from the longest width with the help of the wax paper underneath it by lifting the paper up and easing the dough over the Nutella.
Continue rolling by hanging on to the wax paper as you roll.
Seal the edges by pinching the dough together and tucking them underneath.
With the help of the wax paper, lift and transfer the log onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.
Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
Make sure to leave enough room between the 2 logs because they will spread out somewhat.
Brush the tops of the logs with the beaten egg whites.
Sprinkle the tops of the biscotti logs with the sugar granules.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F., for approximately 35 minutes.
When ready the biscotti logs will have a deep golden brown colour and will feel firm to the touch.
Allow the biscotti logs to cool for about 20 to 30 minutes before slicing into 1 inch slices.
Cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

Notes

NOTE: The 1/2 cup of roasted hazelnuts are measured whole and then ground to a fine consistency.

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