Susumelle - Spiced Calabrian Biscuits
Calabria is in the south west of Italy in the “boot” of Italy. These spiced biscuits can be found in bakeries all over Calabria. They are especially popular at Christmas - but delicious anytime - so no need to wait until December to tuck in!
They are super easy to make.
Although there are many variations of this recipe, my recipe is totally vegan (V) and dairy free (DF) because I used almond milk.
Traditionally Susumelle are an oval shape but you can make them whatever shape takes your fancy. Just for fun I made a homemade cardboard stencil to create a leaf shape.
For decoration the biscuits can either be glazed in chocolate or icing. I drew thin lines in the icing to make the biscuits look more ‘leaf-like’.
Susumelle have a lovely flavour and texture as mine contain honey, cinnamon and walnuts, so perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee or even a little tipple of something stronger.
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Susmelle recipe:
250g plain flour, sifted
100g caster sugar
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g chopped walnuts
100g honey (runny)
25ml water
30ml almond milk
Icing
100g icing sugar, sifted
2-3 tbsps almond milk
Makes about 20-24 depending on size
1. Place the honey and water in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds (do this on the stove for a few minutes if you don’t have a microwave).
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder. Add the almond milk, followed by the honey mixture. Stir and knead until it all comes together to form a soft dough.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line 1 large baking sheet with greaseproof/baking paper.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and bring together into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough and cut out the biscuits with an oval biscuit cutter, or with a sharp knife – they should be about 7cm length (refer to my photos as a guide). Note - you can also make my homemade cardboard stencil cut out for the leaf shape if you want.
5. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Knead any leftover dough back together, roll it out again, and repeat until you have used up all the dough.
6. Bake the biscuits for about 15-20 minutes, or until brown and crisp. Allow them to cool completely on a rack.
7. Make the icing whilst the biscuits are cooking - mix together the sifted icing sugar and almond milk in a bowl. Dip one side of each biscuit in the icing, then let them harden on the rack. Note - if you made leaf shapes, once the icing has hardened score thin lines with a skewer to make my leaf design.
8. Serve with a hot beverage or something stronger. They keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
