Italian Day of the Dead Cookies| Fave dei Morti
In Italy, Fave dei Morti—“beans of the dead”—are small almond cookies baked to honor loved ones on All Souls’ Day. Lightly flavored with liqueur or cocoa powder, these tender cookies carry centuries of tradition in every bite.
Ingredients
Method
- Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flour, and sugar. Fold these dry ingredients into the egg whites a little bit at a time. If it becomes too difficult to stir, you may find switching to your hands easiest. Once a cohesive dough forms, divide this into thirds.
- Put each section of dough into a separate bowl. To the first section of dough, add cocoa powder and vanilla extract. To the second bowl, add alchermes and rose water. To the third bowl, add the rosolio.
- Work each ball of dough until all the ingredients are incorporated well. If you find the dough is too wet for any of them, you can add a little bit of extra almond flour until the dough becomes workable.
- Roll each color of dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place them on parchment lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies at 212℉ / 100℃ for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until dry and firm to the touch. A very slight give in the center is okay. Remove the baked cookies from the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and let cool before enjoying.
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