Forti

Ingredients

 * 600 g [1 lb 3 1/2 oz] plain white flour [all purpose flour]
 * 250 g [8 oz] caster [superfine] sugar
 * 250 g [8 oz] molasses
 * 250 g [8 oz] almonds (unshelled)
 * 100 g [3 1/2 oz] bitter cocoa
 * 80 g [3 oz] butter
 * a scant 0.1 l [3 1/2 fl oz] milk
 * 0.1 l [3 1/2 fl oz] fortified red wine
 * 2 eggs
 * 1 egg white
 * 1 pinch powdered yeast
 * icing [confectioner's] and granulated sugar
 * 1/2 tsp ginger
 * 1 tbsp cloves crushed
 * 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
 * salt
 * 1/2 tsp white pepper

Directions

 * 1) Place the molasses, the ginger, and 50 g [1 3/4 oz] butter, in pieces, in a bowl, mix well, and add the 2 eggs, whole, and the yeast.
 * 2) Shell the almonds, crush 200 g [7 oz] in a mortar, and add to the other ingredients.
 * 3) Add the wine, the cocoa, sprinkled from a sieve, the cinnamon, the cloves, the pepper and the ginger to the molasses mixture.
 * 4) Dissolve the salt in the milk and add to the mixture, then add the amount of flour necessary to form a dough that is both consistent and soft.
 * 5) Place the dough on a pastry board and knead with the hands, return to the bowl, cover with a cloth or a plate and allow to rest for 2 days.
 * 6) Then roll out pieces of the dough, one at a time, to form sheets.
 * 7) Using a small 7 cm [3 in] diameter mould, cut rounds from the dough sheets, making a small hole in the centre of each round with an upside down glass, smaller than the original mould, thus forming small rings.
 * 8) Crush the remaining almonds in a mortar and add a little icing sugar [confectioner's sugar] and the egg white.
 * 9) Brush this mixture on the "ciambelline" and sprinkle with the granulated sugar, crushed. Use the remaining butter to grease a baking tray [cookie sheet] and bake in the oven at 180°C [350°F / Gas 4] for 15 minutes.
 * 10) With the help of a spatula, remove from the baking tray and arrange on one or more pastry racks.
 * 11) The biscuits [cookies] keep for a long time in metal containers.