Celli Pieni - A White Wine Perfumed Dough Filled With A Mixture of Grape Jam 🍇
- Love What UEAT
- Aug 21, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 21
Desserts & Treats#celipieni #italianbiscotti #italiancookies #jamfilledcookies #jamcookies #grapejamcookies
Celli Pieni - A White Wine Perfumed Dough Filled With A Mixture of Grape Jam 🍇
Absolutely Delicious. The aroma and taste of this cookie was outstanding. Thank you! -client feedback.
Celli Pieni is an Italian "tortellone" shaped cookie filled with a mixture of grape jam. It originates from the Abruzzo region of Italy. It was made during the Christmas and Easter Holidays and now it's made all year round.
Little story from How my mother Franca acquired this recipe. She came across this recipe in 1972, during her first part time job. She worked with my grandmother in a textile factory, where they made curtains and bedspreads. The owners were caring and kind people and they treated their employees like family members. My mother would work their on Saturday mornings, summers, pedagogical(ped) days and during the holidays. Basically, almost every day that she was not attending school. The factory had many, but many Italians (both men and women) form several different regions of Italy working there. Often, during Christmas holidays, the women would bake their traditional "goodies". There was one cookie in particular that i took a fancy to. It was called Celli Pieni that signora Anna from Abruzzo brought to share. I liked them so much that I asked her for the recipe and Signora Anna liked one of our traditional baked goody, "Le panzarolli ripieni di castagne". Needless to say, we exchanged recipes that day. Signora Anna explained to me that the original jam that was used for these delicious cookies, was grape jam. With harvest time, in the month of October everyone made their homemade wine. They would reserve some of the wine grapes to make grape jam, (la marmellata d'uva). Today, we are lucky to have varieties of dark jam. Grazie MIlle Signora Anna per questa bella ricetta!
Celli Pieni - A White Wine Perfumed Dough Filled With A Mixture of Grape Jam🍇
Ingredients for the dough
6 cups (750 grams) sifted all purpose flour + extra for dusting work surface
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) white wine (room temperature)
Ingredients for the filling
2 cups (509 grams) grape jam (or any kind of dark jam: blueberry, blackberry, prunes or figs)
1 cup (125 grams) finely crushed dry cookies (ex: social tea biscuits or digestive cookies)
1 1/2 cups (225 grams) shaved chocolate
3/4 cups (95 grams) of crushed walnuts (or crushed roasted almonds)
1/4 cup (30 grams) sweet marsala wine (or vino cotto)
Directions for the filling
*This is your first step as the filling needs time to cool to room temperature to be used in the making of these cookies.
In a medium size sauce pan, over low/medium heat, pour the jam, stir and let it come to a low simmer. Remove it off the burner and add the shaved chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted before adding the crushed walnuts, crushed cookies and marsala wine.
Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the mixture in a heat proof dish, and set it aside to cool to room temperature. While the jam mixture is cooling, we can prepare the dough.
Directions for the Dough
In a large bowl, add your sifted flour. Slowly alternate the incorporation of the olive oil and the white wine, while working the wet ingredients into the flour with your hands. Finish by kneading the dough on a work surface. (you may have to add extra flour ion your work station to help form the dough into a ball) DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. The dough should feel silky smooth. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, cover it with a clean dish towel, and let it rest on the countertop for 30-45 mins.
2. Roll out your dough very thin (you should be able to see your hand through the dough). With a round cookie cutter (we used a 3 1/2" cookie cutter). If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can use the top of a mason jar.
3.Spoon a teaspoonful of the jam mixture and place it at one edge of the circle. Fold the dough in half and gently press the edges. Then take the cookie in your hands and firmly press together the tips. The shape of your cookie should resemble a big "tortellini". Rework your excess dough into a ball, roll it out and continue to make your celli pieni. Continue to rework your excess dough until you have used it all.
4. Place the cookies on a lined parchment cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350FH(180 Celsius) oven for approximately 20 mins, or until the bottom of the cookies are slightly browned. *NOTE: the cookies have a pale colour to them, because there is no eggs in the dough.
5. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack and allow them to fully cool before lightly dusting with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Buonissimo! Enjoy with a nice glass of red wine or a coffee of choice.
View the full youtube video here
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