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What to eat in Sicily? Top 14 Sicilian Cookies

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
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Amaretti, the famous Italian almond cookies are so popular in their homeland that almost every region has their version of the recipe, using different proportions and combinations of the basic ingredients: sweet and bitter almonds, apricot kernels, eggs, and sugar.


The Sicilian version is made with egg whites, sugar, and both bitter and sweet almonds, preferably the world-famous ones grown in the province of Syracuse, in south-eastern Sicily, around the cities of Noto, Avola, Rosolini, and Canicattini Bagni.


Besides almonds, Sicily is also renowned for exquisite pistachios, so it is also possible to stumble upon amaretti made with pistachios instead of almonds.

02

Cookie

CATANIA, Italy
3.8
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Rame di Napoli are soft, chocolate-covered cookies hailing from the Sicilian city of Catania. They are typically made with a combination of sugar, milk, flour, crumbled biscuits or cookies, eggs, cocoa powder, butter, baking powder, honey, orange marmalade, cinnamon, cloves, and orange rind.


Once baked, the cookies are covered with a mixture of melted dark chocolate and butter before being garnished with pistachios or other nuts such as hazelnuts. Different variations of these sweet biscuits call for using Nutella, pistachio cream, other fruit marmalades, or even stewed fruits and vegetables instead of the traditional orange marmalade. 
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Cookie

PROVINCE OF SYRACUSE, Italy
3.7
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Biscotti di mandorla are soft almond biscuits or cookies that are prepared with a combination of finely crushed almonds, beaten egg whites, icing sugar, lemon zest, and almond flakes. The ingredients are combined into a thick almond paste which is then shaped into a desired form and baked until nicely colored.


The cookies are typically sprinkled with powdered or granulated sugar, and they are often garnished with ingredients such as candied maraschino cherries, whole almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts. They may take on different shapes including small round balls, disks, or S-shapes, and they're also often flavored with almond and vanilla extracts. 

MOST ICONIC Biscotti di mandorla

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04

Cookie

SICILY, Italy
3.4
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Biscotti regina or the queen's cookies are crunchy, sesame seed coated biscuits that originated in Palermo, but nowadays can be found all over Sicily. Allegedly named after Queen Margherita of Savoia, these tasty treats are both sweet and savory in flavor due to the lightly toasted sesame crust which envelops the tender interior.


Traditionally, reginelle are enjoyed dipped in sweet dessert wines such as Marsala or Vin Santo, but they are also wonderful when dunked in coffee, hot chocolate, or tea.

05

Cookie

SICILY, Italy
n/a
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Cuccidati are traditional Sicilian cookies stuffed with figs. Flaky, rich, and delicious, they consist of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and milk, while the filling is a combination of dried figs, raisins, dates, honey, chocolate, walnuts, and selected spices.


These sweet treats can be found in most Italian bakeries during the festive Christmas season, when they are traditionally prepared for the occasion.

06

Cookie

METROPOLITAN CITY OF MESSINA, Italy and  one more region
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Nzuddi are traditional Italian cookies hailing from Catania and Messina. The cookies are made with a combination of flour, almonds, sugar, egg whites, cinnamon, ammonia, orange zest, and a bit of lemon juice. They are spherical-shaped and slightly flattened, and when baked they develop a deep golden color.


Traditionally, nzuddi were prepared on June 3 for the feast of Madonna della Lettera in the Monastero di San Vincenzo. The name is derived from the nickname for Vincenzo (Vincinzuddu or 'nzuddu) in the Sicilian dialect. It's recommended to serve nzuddi with a glass of dessert wine or a cup of espresso.

07
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Named after mustaceum, a sweet, ancient Roman focaccia flavored with grape must and baked under bay leaves, mastazzola are traditional must-flavored cookies made in several Italian regions. Typical ingredients include whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, almonds, and orange zest, but the variety from Riesi in the Italian province of Caltanissetta is special due to the addition of carob syrup, which gives them a very rich and unique flavor.


Nowadays, these traditional cookies are mostly prepared at home during the festive Christmas period, but it is also possible to find them in a few local bakeries.

08

Cookie

MODICA, Italy
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Mpanatigghi are small crescent-shaped, thin-crusted cookies filled with a mixture of sugar, chocolate, almonds, lemon peel, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and one slightly unusual ingredient – ground beef. The name mpanatigghi is probably derived from the Spanish word empanada, meaning wrapped in bread dough, as they were first brought to Sicily during the Spanish rule in the 16th century.


Nowadays they are a specialty of the town of Modica in Sicily, and due to the fact that their name is almost unpronounceable to non-locals, mpanatigghi are usually ordered just by pointing a finger at them.

MOST ICONIC Mpanatigghi

09
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Biscotti della monaca are traditional Sicilian cookies originating from Catania. These S-shaped cookies were originally invented by the nuns of the Convent of Santa Chiara, who’d made them according to a secret recipe. The cookies are nowadays usually made with a combination of flour, sugar, margarine, ammonia, milk, anise, and salt.


The ingredients are kneaded into a dough that’s formed into balls, wrapped, and left to rest in the fridge. It is then rolled out and cut into strips that are formed into S-shapes. The cookies are baked in the oven, first once for ten minutes, and then once more for about twenty minutes. 
10

Cookie

CATANIA, Italy
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Bersaglieri are traditional Sicilian cookies originating from Catania. The cookies are usually made with a combination of flour, cocoa, eggs, milk, lard, sugar, bakers' ammonia, vanilla, and salt. The flour is mixed with salt, ammonia, vanilla, lard, cocoa, sugar, and eggs.


The dough is shaped into a ball and left to rest in the fridge. Small amounts of the dough are shaped into small loaves or finger shapes that are baked in the oven. Once cooled to room temperature, the cookies are glazed with a mixture of water, cocoa, and sugar. 
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Cookie
SICILY, Italy
n/a
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Sicilian Cookies