Cantucci (Dry Almond Cookies)

We stayed at three different spots during our time in Tuscany, one of them being a family owned villla and winery. It was there that we had (what we deemed as) the best meal of the whole honeymoon. The family that owned the villa cooked an incredibly authentic Tuscan dinner for us, the guests staying in the other villas . . . and their entire extended family. During the course of this four hour dinner, it really felt like we were ALL family. Among the many amazing dishes, we ate fresh prosciutto from the pigs we played with earlier on their farm (slightly sad) and drank seven different kinds of wines from the vineyard in which our villa was surrounded. It was truly a one of a kind experience. Those Italians sure know how to live. But a surprising highlight of the meal were these little biscuits called Cantucci that were passed around with glasses of Grappa. They looked like mini biscotti, but thier consistency was much less crunchy with their insides being warm and soft. Needless to say, we dipped way too many of them in our Grappa (when in Rome) and found ourselves uncomfortably full and, shall we say, tipsy. But they were so worh it! We took a stab at making them this weekend following this recipe and found that they also pair quite well with espresso :)

Newlywed Note

This recipe is great for making in advance and freezing - they're best when eaten immediately after baking. Cut into any size, big or small - we chose to do little bite size pieces as that is how we were originally introduced to them. We also drizzled extra sugar on top before baking. We were surprised by how easy these were to make and how delicous they tasted on the first try.

Served with espresso, lemon and extra sugar.