Recipe by Thea Duncan of Doing Italy

Pandolconi Genovese are miniature versions of the traditional Italian Christmas cake from Genoa known as pandolce. Literally translating as “sweet bread” in Italian, pandolce is a dense and crumbly bread speckled with bits of dried fruit. In this sense, it’s quite similar to panettone, except that pandolce is less soft and fluffy and more scone-like in texture. 

Usually, pandolce is prepared as a single, large, round “boule,” but here I’ve made them as individual portions for easy snacking and sharing.

Pandolcini Genoese

Makes 12 pandolcini

Ingredients

3 ¾ cup (425 grams) type 1 flour*
¾ cup (180 grams) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 ⅓ cup (200 grams) raisins
⅔ cup (125 grams) candied oranges
3/4 cup (100 grams) pine nuts
2 tablespoons marsala wine
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Type one flour can be substituted with ¼ whole wheat flour and ¾ all-purpose flour.

Method

Rinse raisins and let them sit in tepid water for approximately 15 minutes, then drain.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium-sized bowl.

Cream butter and sugar by hand or with a stand mixer. Once fully combined, add egg and marsala. Then mix in flour mixture.

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead dried fruit and nuts until fully incorporated. Place dough in a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll dough into balls more or less the size of tangerines, and place on parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before eating or storing. Store in a sealable plastic bag to prevent cookies from becoming too hard.

 

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