Ping Cookn Biker: Panforte

Per your request:

Panforte (Mom's Recipe)

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Ingredients:

1/4 lb Filberts, Shelled and Toasted
1/4 lb Almonds, Shelled and Toasted
4 Oz Candied Orange Peel, Chopped
4 Oz Mixed Candied Fruit, Chopped
4 Oz Citron, Chopped
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour, Sifted
1/8 cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 Tsp. Allspice
1/8 Tsp. Almond Extract
Cinnamon
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Sugar
Confectioners' Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts on a cookie sheet in single layer. Toast in oven 10-15 minutes--just until golden brown. Remove skins from filberts by putting them in a kitchen towel and rubbing them.

2. Reduce heat in oven to 300°. Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch pie plate.

3. In a large bowl, combine toasted nuts, fruits, flour, cocoa, allspice, almond extract and 1.5 Tsp. cinnamon: mix well.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine honey and granulated sugar. Over low heat, cook, stirring with wooden spoon, to dissolve sugar. Cook about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

5. Add fruit-nut mixture: mix well. Turn into prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula. Bake 30 minutes.

6. Combine 1/4 Cup confectioners' sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle half over panforte. Bake several minutes longer, sprinkle again with sugar mixture.

7. Let cool on wire rack. Store in covered tin until serving.


We've made this for Christmas many times, always doubling the ingredients and making two panfortes. The original recipe called for twice as much cocoa, but we felt this was too much so we double all ingredients except for the cocoa. The ingredient list above reflects the reduction in cocoa. I may cut it back some more with my next batch.

Buon appetito!