1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup ladyfingers, ground
1 whole egg, beaten
1 egg yolk, beaten

Wafer sheets

o Melt butter.

o Mix cocoa and butter together.

o Add the ground almonds to the cocoa and butter mixture.

o Place the almond, butter and cocoa mixture in a cooking pan and cook on low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

o Add the sugar to the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.

o When you have a thick paste, add the beaten eggs.

o When the eggs have been incorporated and are cooked through, add the ground ladyfingers.

o Place the mixture on a large wafer.

o Top the mixture with another wafer.

o Place the wafer cookie in the fridge and let it rest there overnight.

o In the morning cut up the wafer cookie into rectangular pieces -- about three inches long and 1 inch wide.

o Wrap the cookies, "torroncini," in wax paper and place them in an appropriate container. Store in the fridge if used in a day or two, or, if the wait is longer, keep them in the freezer until needed.

o Serve at room temperature.

This style of cookie used to be known as "torrone molle," soft torrone, but nowadays the more popular term for them is "torroncini" -- meaning, small-sized torrone. However, the Italian word, "torroncini" is also used to describe an almond and hazelnut biscotti. For the biscotti recipe see Italy Revisited/"Cookies with Nuts." P.S. Wafer cookie sheets are sometimes difficult to find, depending in the area one lives in. Thick cream-colored wafer sheets are often sold in large supermarkets. If one cannot find them there and lives in the Montreal area, there are two stores in Montreal that generally carry them. They include the large Italian grocery shop called MARCHE MILANO at 6862 St. Laurent H2S 3C7, phone 514-273-8558 and the large Arabic grocery store called, Supermarche AKHAVAN 6170 Sherbrooke West H4B 1L8 phone 514-485-4744 at www.akhavanfood.com. Many grocery shops from the Middle East carry wafer sheets. However, the thin white-colored wafer sheets called "host" sheets or "hostie" in Italian which are used to make Italian-style "torrone" are much harder to find. Sometimes Marche Milano has them, but not always. Apparently a Montreal-based company, "Berchicci," sells the "host" sheets on line. The company can be reached at www.berchicci.ca. Personal notes: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list