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Pan dei Morti Recipe (Italian All Souls’ Day Cookies)
Pan dei Morti are traditional Italian cookies prepared for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, especially between November 1 and 2. They are typical of Northern Italy, particularly Lombardy and Milan, although similar versions are also found in parts of Liguria and Tuscany.Despite the name, Pan dei Morti—literally “Bread of the Dead”—is not a yeast bread. These are dense, soft-centered cookies with a distinctive elongated oval shape, traditionally made with ground cookies, flour, cocoa, dried fruit, nuts, spices, and wine.
Ingredients
- 250 g Italian 00 flour or all-purpose flour - about 2 cups
- 100 g plain dry cookies - 3.5 oz
- 100 g amaretti cookies - 3.5 oz
- 200 g Savoiardi ladyfingers - 7 oz
- 200 g granulated sugar - 1 cup
- 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder - ½ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 120 g blanched almonds - ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 120 g dried figs - about 4 oz
- 120 g ¾ cup raisins
- 5 egg whites - from medium eggs
- 100 ml Vin Santo or Marsala wine - ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 10 g baking powder - 2 ½ teaspoons
- powdered sugar - for dusting
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients
- Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with the Vin Santo or Marsala. Let them soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Place the plain cookies, amaretti, and ladyfingers in a food processor. Since there is quite a large quantity, work in batches if necessary.
- Process until the cookies are very finely ground.
- Transfer the ground cookie mixture to a very large bowl.
- Add the almonds and dried figs to the food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Add them to the bowl with the ground cookies.
Make and Shape the Dough
- Add the sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix briefly to combine.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix again until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add the soaked raisins together with all the wine remaining in the bowl.
- Add the egg whites.
- Begin mixing with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Once the mixture becomes too firm to stir easily, continue kneading with your hands until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and a compact dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a thick, elongated slab about 15 cm (6 inches) wide.
- Divide the dough into portions weighing about 90 g (3.2 oz) each.
- Shape each portion into a flattened, elongated oval about 1 cm (⅜ inch) thick, 12–15 cm (5–6 inches) long, and 5–6 cm (2–2½ inches) wide, slightly tapering the ends.
Bake the Pan dei Morti
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the Pan dei Morti on top, leaving a few centimeters between them since they will expand slightly during baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the Pan dei Morti from the oven and dust them generously with powdered sugar while they are still warm.
- Pan dei Morti are delicious on the day they are baked, but their flavor and texture improve after a day or two, when they become softer, more aromatic, and even more flavorful.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 149mgPotassium: 280mgFiber: 4gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 81IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg
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