Italian almond long bread is one of the traditional Italian cookies and is the third most exported cookie in Italy, after finger biscuits and almond cookies.

The first recipe for Cantuccini was written in the 18th century in the manuscript of Amadio Baldanzi, a Prato scholar, and is now in the National Archives of Prato.

Since Cantuccini became the third most exported Italian cookie, after finger biscuits and almond biscuits, producers have been plagued by counterfeit products.

To defend the traditional status of Cantuccini production, the Tuscan region has enforced strict rules for the production of Cantuccini, from selecting raw materials to controlling humidity.

The most traditional specifications for the finished product should be 10 cm in length, 2.8 cm in width, and 3 cm in height, with consistent diagonal rows of cut grain.

The humidity should be kept between 3% and 7%, which is the basis for keeping the surface of the Cantuccini crisp and aromatic.

But the rules are just a piece of paper. There are a large number of artisanal cookie producers in Italy, each region has its preferred taste and each artisanal producer has its ancestral recipe, so even within Italy you can find a wide variety of different Cantuccini.

How to make cantuccini

Ingredients for Cantuccini with long Italian almond cookies

100 g of peeled almonds

2 eggs

250 grams of flour

animal butter 50g

250g of white sugar

1 packet of white sugar powder

How to make Italian long almond cookies Cantuccini

1. Mix the eggs, sugar, animal butter, and powdered white sugar.

2. Add the flour and almonds and mix them all together.

3. Knead everything into a ball, stretch the dough and press it into a long flat strip.

4. Put the dough into the refrigerator and freeze for half an hour.

5. Cut the dough into 2 halves, put them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and put them in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

6. After baking, take out the cookies and cut the 2 long cookies diagonally once.

7. Place the cookies on a flat surface and continue to bake in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes (until the top is a little golden brown) at 250 degrees F. Remove from the oven after 1 minute.

Now, a delicious Cantuccini is ready to be baked. Doesn't it look so easy?