Pitti Pi – My favourite biscuits in the world

I just received the first proof of my new book “The Sweet Life” a few days ago.  It’s so exciting to see the words and pictures come to life. I am really happy with it and can’t wait to share it with you, out February 2018.  It’s all about sweets, such as cakes, tarts, desserts, biscuits and all things delectable.  Being my third book, it was incredibly difficult not to include all the special sweet recipes that I have already shared in my other cook books.  It also got me thinking about what I want to include in my next book ( a constant work in progress).  I find writing and sharing recipes so incredibly exciting and rewarding.  Bringing to life the food from my family, some traditional, some tweaked, in exquisite photos that (hopefully) make you want to make them and share with your family is very special to me.

If I could pin point that one recipe that was the catalyst for making me want to write it down and share it would be this one. Pitti Pi.  They are from my first cook book, Easy Home Cooking Italian Style, and was the first recipe I wrote when writing that book. I can undeniably say they are my favourite biscuits in the entire world.  I know that’s a huge statement, and they don’t really look like much, but these chocolate little diamonds, heady with Christmassy spice, honey, citrus and almonds with that just-right chewy texture are the bee’s knees for me.

It’s not just how good they taste, it’s where these biscuits take me. Back to my childhood, that time of the year when Christmas is a whisper on the horizon. The build up of all the good things to come.  It’s Nonna’s house, it’s my childhood home, it’s the family and friends who dropped by and the smell of coffee permeating the house as cups were filled and these Pitti Pi came out of the container as a sweet and welcoming offering.

This recipe needed to be written down and shared, like many of Nonna’s recipes it was difficult to get exact quantities and it is important to me that these recipes aren’t lost, that we keep making them for generations to come. Nonna didn’t write down recipes (well actually it was Nonno who penned the recipes down for her).

When there actually was a written recipe to refer to, it was common for the recipe to state ‘as much flour as it needs’ or ‘until it feels right’.  When trying to replicate these old recipes, written in Italian no less, it was very difficult to decipher ‘how much’ of anything was needed. Thankfully my Mum is also an expert in making these, but as she also is not a believer in measuring anything, trialling and perfecting these biscuits became a challenge, but at least I could ask her what the dough should feel like.  What it should look like. I have to admit she was off with many of the measurements to begin with – her notes ‘start with 1 cup of flour and go from there’ (it ended up being 6 times the amount) and that her recipe would make around 60 biscuits (more like 140!).  It just goes to show, Italians just go with it, and are so in tune with their recipe they just add what it needs and it’ll be what it will be (mind you, perfect every time!).

After lots of testing this recipe is perfect, and even though I’ve halved it, it still makes 70. But please don’t try to make a smaller batch.  This is easiest to make when you have this amount of dough to work with, and remember, like all old fashioned Italian biscuits, these last for months. Just keep in a sealed container, and when you have visitors, you too will have something delicious and home made ready to offer.

It is the perfect time of year to make these right now – I can smell Christmas coming! But don’t just save these for the festive season, they’re amazing any time.