Cantuccini is an Italian twice-baked cookie aka biscotti that is traditionally made with no fat. They are harder than most biscotti and are made to be eaten dunked in hot coffee, tea or wine. Because of their hardness and dryness, they are shelf-stable and are perfect for gifting.
Hot Chocolate is a beverage that originated in Mexico. There, is a very popular beverage drank all year round and is very affordable. You can find many street vendors early in the morning whipping up sweet frothy hot chocolate with their molinillo. Unlike western-style hot chocolate, traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate is thinner and is spiced, very commonly, with cinnamon.
This traditional-style cantuccini is made fusion with the incorporation of Mexican dark chocolate spiced with cinnamon, and cayenne. Walnuts are added to balance the flavor and add textural contrast. The result is a lightly sweet, rich, earthy, and crunchy snack that is perfect for the adult palette.
Mexican Hot Chocolate & Walnut Cantuccini
Ingredients
- 80 g all purpose flour
- 55 g cane sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 squares Mexican chocolate I used Mayordomo. But there are other brands like de la Taza.
- 25 g walnuts
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp almond extract vanilla extract is ok
- coarse sugar like turbinado to top optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Finely chop the Mexican chocolate and coarse chop the walnuts and mix it into the flour mixture.
- Beat the egg and almond extract together. Add it into the flour mixture and mix until a thick batter forms.
- Dump the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and shape into a log and flatten it so it is about 3/4” tall. Optional: for more sweetness and texture, sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the dough and lightly press it in.
- Bake for 25 minutes or when the log has risen and looks firm but has not brown. Remove from the oven and let the log cool for about 10 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the log diagonally into strips, about 1/3-1/2” thick. Place the half cooked cantuccini side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake for another 15 minutes until lightly browned.
