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ITALIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES WITH CHESTNUT CHOCOLATE FILLING | CHESTNUT TORTELLI RECIPE
Try this authentic Italian recipe for Chestnut Tortelli – little pasta-shaped Italian Christmas cookies filled with a spiced rum, chocolate & chestnut filling.
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These Italian Christmas Cookies filled with a spiked Chestnut puree should be on your to-bake list this Christmas!
May I introduce to you my latest cookie obsession – little Italian Christmas Cookies, known as chestnut tortelli!
These dainty little pasta-shaped cookies took my heart by storm and I want to share the recipe for this Italian Christmas treat with all you lovers of all things chestnut and chocolate!
Imagine a tender, buttery cookie filled with a spiced, rum-spiked chocolate and chestnut filling! Sounds delicious, no?
I was looking for creative, exciting new Christmas cookie recipes to add to my holiday baking rut and found this great recipe for Italian chestnut tortelli cookies! SOLD!
I do so love chestnuts and chestnut puree, especially in desserts and cakes (check out my chestnut chocolate cake).
They take me back to Christmas time in Germany, where no visit to the Christmas Market would be complete without a paper bag full of steaming hot, roasted chestnuts! The best hand-warmer there is, in my opinion.
In Italy, you find the same chestnut stands during the cold season and many Italian Christmas recipes use them – either as a chestnut puree or chestnut flour.
How to make Italian Christmas Cookies with Chocolate Chestnut Filling:
These Italian Chestnut cookies look rich, but they are not overly sweet.
The dough calls for no sugar at all, and don’t be tempted to add any. As you can tell from the list of ingredients, the chestnut filling is quite rich. Plus, we are gonna roll the freshly baked chestnut tortelli in a bowl of icing sugar.
They will be just perfect along with a little espresso and they make for the best little Italian Christmas treat.
We make the olive oil- and butter-enriched pastry in the food processor and it comes together quite easily.
Make sure to let the pastry rest for a minimum of 1 hour. You can also prepare it up to 48 hours in advance. I found, that the chestnut cookie dough was easier to roll out when I let it sit on my counter for about 5 minutes, before rolling.
For my Italian Chestnut Tortelli Cookies, you will need whole roasted or cooked chestnuts. You can buy Whole Peeled Chestnuts or use the same amount of unsweetened Chestnut Puree 
for the cookie filling.
for the cookie filling.Variations on these Italian Christmas Cookies:
In Southern Italy, chickpeas are used instead of chestnuts, which sounds like something I might want to try next year. Use them as a substitute, if you cannot find chestnuts.
Likewise, you can skip the rum and add some espresso or strong coffee to the sweet chestnut filling.
It took a whole lot of self-control to not eat the yummy chestnut chocolate filling by the spoonful! The texture reminded me a bit of marzipan. So if you like the sound of chocolate chestnut marzipan, you will definitely love these cookies.
Apart from chocolate, we add some cocoa, rum, vanilla and cinnamon to the chestnut puree, for that Christmassy touch. As a further addition, I added a tbsp of espresso to the chestnut cookie filling, which worked really well with the rest of the ingredients. I would even up the amount from one to two tablespoons next time I bake these.
I really hope you get to try this authentic Italian Christmas treat!
Actually, I have started to enjoy a Chestnut Tortelli cookie with my first coffee or a little morning-espresso and am loving my little Italian Christmas breakfasts. Try them yourself and be prepared to fall in love!
Tips for making Italian Christmas Cookies With Chestnut Filling:
- Make sure to let the pastry dough rest for a minimum of 1 hour.
- You can make the dough up to 48 hours in advance and store it in the fridge.
- I found, that the chestnut cookie dough was easier to roll out when I let it sit on my counter for about 5 minutes before rolling.
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Italian Christmas Cookies with Chestnut Filling | Chestnut Tortelli Recipe
These dainty, sugar-dusted Italian Christmas Cookies come with a rum-spiked chocolate & chestnut filling! Try this Italian Christmas recipe this winter!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 40 pieces
Calories 100 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
- 350 g AP flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 115 g butter ice cold and cut into cubes
- 2 large eggs
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 350 g chestnuts, cooked or roasted or same amount of unsweetened chestnut puree
- 130 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp rum or 2 plus 1 more tbsp pf espresso
- 1 tbsp espresso
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 130 g dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
To finish
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine flour, baking powder and salt and blitz quickly. Add the cubed butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. In a small bowl, stir together eggs, oil and water and add to the dry mix. Pulse until the dough comes together in clumps. Take out and knead very quickly. Divide the dough into 4 parts, shape it into individual disks, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for about an hour, better for 2. You can prepare the dough 2 days ahead of time.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F, or 180 C . Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Let dough sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, so that it is easier to roll. In the meantime, blend all the ingredients except for the chocolate in your food processor until a coarse, thick paste forms. If it is too dry, add some more espresso or rum. It should hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Stir in the chocolate.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 3 mm thin.Cut out rounds of about 8 to 10 cm.
- Place about a teaspoon of the filling on the lower half of each round. Moisten the edge of the round with water, then fold the round in half and seal the edges with a fork or your fingers. Place the chestnut cookies on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until just starting to brown.Transfer them to a bowl filled with the confectioner's sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. Roll them in the icing sugar and let cool on wire racks. The chestnut cookies should be stored in airtight containers in a cold room. Properly stored, they keep for at least 2 weeks.
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