Cavallucci

These traditional Italian Christmas cookies were originally invented in Siena. They have a soft texture and consist of flour, nuts, candied fruit, and various spices. Originally, cavallucci were prepared without nuts or candied fruit – only flour, sugar, honey, and anise seeds were used.

The name is believed to be a derivation of the word cavallo, meaning horse – this is either a reference to their shape, which is reminiscent to a horse hoof, or because they were imprinted with a tiny horse on top in the past.