Fave dei morti are small Italian almond cookies flavored with cinnamon and lemon. The unique flavor combination makes them truly special!
Fave dei morti literally translate to "fava beans of the dead." And no, these aren't beans, or fava beans to be specific, they're actually cookies believe it or not!
They're just called fave dei morti because they're made around All Saint's/All Soul's Day in Italy (November 1st and November 2nd), and fava beans in Italy are a symbol of the dead.
This connection goes back to ancient Rome when it was believed that the souls of the dead lived in black fave beans. The beans were a part of funeral rights and were thrown over the shoulders of mourners to honor the dead. So these cookies are meant to look like fava beans.
Although I did make them slightly larger than usual, but you can make them any size you'd like!
Many Italian regions have their own version of this cookie, from a Puglia version, to a Rome version, they all differ slightly.
My favorite thing about these cookies is the addition of cinnamon and lemon zest. If you're looking for a more traditional almond cookie, try these amaretti cookies. It's a flavor combination that I had never tried before, but it gives them such a unique flavor - that's why I highly recommend you try them!
Ingredients
- Blanched peeled almonds
- Pine nuts
- 00 flour (can substitute all-purpose flour)
- Egg/egg yolks
- Rum
- Icing sugar
- Lemon zest
- Cinnamon
How to make them - step by step
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, grind up the almonds until they're a fine, sand-like texture. Remove from the food processor (photo 1)
In the food processor, grind up the pine nuts until they're a fine texture as well. The pine nuts are oilier than the almonds so they will be more like a paste than the almonds (photo 2)
In a small bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks and rum together until well-incorporated (photo 3)
In a bowl, add the flour, ground almonds, and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the ground pine nuts. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon (photo 4). Mix together with a spoon, and make a well in the center.
Add the egg mixture to the well (photo 5) Knead with your hands until the dough starts to come together. Put the dough onto a flat surface and continue kneading until the dough is smooth (photo 6)
Cut a piece off the dough and roll it into a log (photo 7). Cut a small piece off of the log and roll it between your hands into a ball. The balls should be about ¾ - 1" in diameter.
Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet (photo 8) Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, or as soon as they're slightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving (photo 9)
More Italian cookie recipes
- 3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies (Nutellotti)
- Star Cookies with Pistachio Cream
- How to Make Amaretti Cookies – Easy and Delicious!
If you’ve tried making these Fave dei morti, or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Recipe
Fave Dei Morti
Fave dei morti are small Italian almond cookies flavored with cinnamon and lemon. The unique flavor combination makes them truly special!
Ingredients
- 3 cups blanched peeled almonds
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup 00 flour
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon white rum
- 1 ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, grind up the almonds until they're a fine, sand-like texture. Remove from the food processor.
-
In the food processor, grind up the pine nuts until they're a fine texture as well. The pine nuts are oilier than the almonds so they will be more like a paste than the almonds.
-
In a small bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks and rum together until well-incorporated.
-
In a bowl, add the flour, ground almonds, and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the ground pine nuts. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon. Mix together with a spoon, and make a well in the center.
-
Add the egg mixture to the well. Knead with your hands until the dough starts to come together. Put the dough onto a flat surface and continue kneading until the dough is smooth.
-
Cut a piece off the dough and roll it into a log. Cut a small piece off of the log and roll it between your hands into a ball. The balls should be about ¾-1" in diameter.
-
Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, or as soon as they're slightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
- If you don't have 00 flour, all purpose flour will work as well.
- Grappa can be used instead of rum.
- Traditional fave dei morti are very small (ie. the size of fava beans). This recipe makes them on the larger side, but you can make them smaller if you'd like!
Recipe adapted from Giallozafferano.
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