These tender, eggless, not-too-sweet cookies are made with walnuts, honey and orange, and are lightly spiced with ground cinnamon and cloves. The sweetness is balanced out with a thin glaze of icing sugar. They are easy to prepare and can be made up to several weeksin advance without being frozen.
These delightful – and ancient – cookies are affectionately calledSusumelle by many Calabrians, which means ‘una carezza‘ or a caress,and are typically bakedduring the Christmas holiday season. They are also known as Pitta di San Martinoin the province of Reggio Calabria, which are made in the fallto celebrate the opening of wine-making season.
There are endless variationsof this recipe. Every family, town, and region inCalabria has their own their way of making them. The key ingredients are dried fruits, nuts, and honey, and are lightly spiced with cinnamon and/or cloves. They areglazed either with melted chocolate or a thin glaze made of icing sugar and milk.
I rememberhelping my mom prepare these cookies when I was a kid. I lovedthe scent of cinnamon and cloves wafting through the house as they baked in the oven, but I wasn’t too fond of eating them. I didn’t like the candied orange peel that she added.I still nibbled on one or two whenever she served them toguests with a good cup of strong espresso. 🙂
It’s been years since I’ve tasted these cookies. I never really gave it much thought into making them myself until now. A few weeks ago, I searched high and low for my mom’srecipe but I couldn’t find it. That’s when I relied on my recollections, a bit of research, and a lot of testing, to come up with thisyummy adaptation of how I remember them.
The key things I remember mom using besides the candied orange peel are honey, walnuts, a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, and a particular leavener that came in a very small glass container. She always referred to it as ‘medicina‘. After a bit of research, I found out that it wasammonium carbonate (also known as Baker’s Ammonia) that she used to make her Susumelle.
What is Ammonium Carbonate (Baker’s Ammonia)?
This is a very old leavener that was used before baking powder and baking soda made their way into housewives’ kitchens duringthe 19th century. In the Middle Ages, it was made of ground deer antlers, but today it is a chemical salt that is suitable for vegan and vegetarian baking.
It is still used in Northern Europe for flat baked goods,such as Springerle and Lebkuchen, but it is not ideal for thick, high batters, like cakes, breads, and muffins (the ammonia gas doesn’t have the chance to escape like it would in cookies and crackers). The only set back is that there is an unpleasant odor of ammonia during baking, but it will quickly disappear once it has evaporated.
Ammonium carbonate should never be eaten raw, nor should it be confused with the household ammonia cleaner. It should be stored in a tight container or it will clump if it is exposed to moisture, and it should be kept separately from other aromas, like vanilla and almond extracts.
This leavener may be difficult to find at your local grocery store, but it can be easily purchased online on Amazon or on the King Author Flour website (non-affiliate links).It is a bit more expensive in North American than in Europe but a little goes a long way. 🙂
In North America, ammonium carbonate is also known as hartshorn, in Germany, it is called Hirschhornsalz, and in Italy, it is referred to as ammoniaca per dolci. If you can’t find it, then it can be substituted with an equal amount of baking powder, but the results will slightly vary in some recipes.
As I was developing this recipe, I tried to stay as close as possible to my mom’s recipe. Some of the changes I’ve made are,1) substituting juice and zest of a large orange for the candied orange peel, 2) increasing the amount of cocoa powder, and 3) replacing half of the honey with molasses.
Now, molasses is not a common ingredient in the Calabrian cuisine, but the first time I madethis recipe I didn’t have enough honey, so I added some molasses as a temporary substitute. Wow! The cookies turned out delicious! I made several batches using only honey and I found them to be mediocre.Molasses adds richness and pulls the orange, cinnamon and clove flavours all together.
NOTE: You can make this recipe using all honey, but keep in mind that the batter will be much softer and you will need to add more flour to get a firmer dough.
To begin, mix together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and ammonium carbonate. The leaveneris typcially mixed with milk or water for even distribution, but I decided that it would be simpler to addit to the dry ingredients instead.Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients with a whisk,and then add the juice and zest of an orange, honey and molasses.
The walnuts can be added either now with the dry ingredients or after the wet ingredients have been added – it really doesn’t make a difference.
Start mixing the ingredients with a fork until it all comes together. If you find that not all the flour has been absorbed into the dough (middle photo above), then add some water or milk, one tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough for a minute or two until smooth and form into a ball (third photo above).
Roughly take a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into an oval shape with well floured hands. Place on a lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart (3-5 cm). Bake in a moderate oven for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely before glazing.
In a small cereal bowl, stir together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Dip each cookie into the glaze and let completely dry on the baking sheet (or you can also use a cookie rack). Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for several weeks.These cookies will staysoft and tender, and taste delectable. The glaze will help keep from drying out too quickly.
Even though this is not my mom’s original recipe, it comes close to how they tasted when she made them.I tested this recipe nine timesand this is the version that I am most pleased with. My family couldn’t stop eating these every time I made them.Add them to your baking list. If you love the combination of honey, walnuts, cinnamon and cloves, then you won’t be disappointed with this recipe.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
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SUSUMELLE (CALABRIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES)
(Printable Recipe)
These tender, eggless, not-too-sweet cookies are made with walnuts, honey and orange, and are lightly spiced with ground cinnamon and cloves. The sweetness is balanced out with a thin glaze of icing sugar. They are easy to prepare and can be made up to several weeksin advance without being frozen.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups (325 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp (75 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened or dutch process)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ammonium carbonate (Baker’s ammonia)
- zest and juice of one large orange
- 1/4 cup (50 g) liquid honey
- 1/4 cup (50 g) molasses
- 1/2 cup (45 g) finely chopped walnuts
Glaze:
- 1 cup (100 g) sifted powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
- 2 tbsp milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper (baking paper).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ammonium carbonate.
3. Add zest and juice of one orange, liquid honey and molasses. Mix well with a fork until the dough comes together. If some of the flour was not absorbed into the dough, then add one tablespoon of milk to gather the remainder. Stir or knead in walnuts.
4. Transfer to lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two until smooth.
5. Grab a heaping tablespoon and roll into an oval shape between your hands. Place cookies about 1 1/2 to 2 inches (3-5 cm) apart and gently flatten the top.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the doughy look is gone. Let cool completely on baking tray before icing.
7. To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Dip the top of the cookies into the glaze and let them drip either on the baking sheet or on a cookie rack. Let dry completely before storing in a tight container at room temperature.
MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES (depending on the size they are rolled)
Inspired by my mom
