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Fave dei morti are soft almond cookies from central Italy, shaped like little flattened beans and dusted with powdered sugar. The name means “beans of the dead,” and bakeries across Italy make them every year around November 2 for All Souls’ Day.
The texture is what sets them apart from amaretti. Finely ground almond flour gives a pale, marzipan-like crumb instead of a crisp or chewy bite, so the cookies stay soft for days.
The dough is forgiving, no candy thermometer, no piping bag. Rest it for 15 minutes before shaping so it’s firm enough to roll without sticking to your palms.
One thing to watch: pull them the moment the edges turn gold. If the tops brown, the cookies bake dry instead of staying soft in the center.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, marzipan-like crumb with no chewy amaretti crunch
- Ready in under an hour, no candy thermometer needed
- Freezer-friendly dough for make-ahead holiday baking
- Naturally rich from almond flour, easy on the pantry
Ingredient Notes
- almond flour: Use finely ground blanched almond flour, not coarse almond meal with skins, for a smooth pale crumb.
- all-purpose flour: Just enough to hold the dough together. Swap a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed.
- butter: Softened, not melted, so the dough holds its bean shape instead of spreading in the oven.
- lemon zest: Zest only the yellow part. The white pith underneath turns the dough bitter.
- almond extract: A small amount goes a long way. Swap for vanilla extract if you want a milder scent.
- pine nuts: Optional but traditional in some regions. Press one into each cookie before baking.
- powdered sugar: Dust only after the cookies cool fully, or it melts into wet patches.
Soft Almond Fave dei Morti Cookies for Fall
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 170 C / 340 F and line a 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt together until evenly combined.
- Add the softened butter, egg, lemon zest, and almond extract. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky mass, similar to marzipan.
- Cover the bowl and rest the dough at room temperature for 15 minutes. This firms the butter slightly and makes shaping easier, skip it and the dough sticks to your palms.
- Scoop portions of about 23 g, a heaping tablespoon, and roll each into a short log. Flatten and taper the ends to form a bean shape, roughly 6 cm long.
- Arrange the shaped cookies on the sheet pan, spacing them 3 cm apart. Press a pine nut into the center of each one, if using.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges turn pale gold and the tops stay light in color. Pull them as soon as the edges color, if the tops brown the cookies will bake dry instead of staying soft in the middle.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar once fully cool, just before serving.
Notes
- Weigh the almond flour rather than scooping, packed almond flour makes dry, crumbly dough.
- Rest dough 15 minutes before shaping so it's firm enough to roll.
- Pull cookies as soon as edges turn gold, they finish softening as they cool.
- Store unbaked shaped dough in the freezer for a make-ahead holiday batch.
Tips for Success
- Weigh the almond flour instead of scooping, packed almond flour makes the dough dry and crumbly.
- Rest the dough for 15 minutes so it firms up enough to roll into bean shapes.
- Use softened butter, never melted, or the cookies spread flat in the oven.
- Pull the cookies once the edges turn pale gold, the centers finish softening as they cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar only after the cookies cool completely, or it dissolves into wet spots.
Variations
- Swap half the almond flour for ground hazelnuts for a deeper, toastier flavor found in some Lombard versions.
- Add 1 tbsp of dark rum or Marsala to the dough for a boozy note used in southern bakeries.
- Replace the almond extract with orange zest and a pinch of ground cloves for a spiced, autumnal twist.
Storage and Reheating
Fave dei morti keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days without drying out, since the almond flour holds moisture better than a standard flour cookie. They’re meant to be eaten at room temperature, not reheated.
For a make-ahead batch, shape the cookies and freeze them raw on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen at 170 C / 340 F, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes until the edges turn pale gold.
Serving Suggestions
Serve fave dei morti with a small glass of sweet Marsala or vin santo, the traditional pairing for All Souls’ Day.
Pile them on a platter alongside other Italian holiday cookies like cantucci or ossi dei morti for a mixed dessert board.
They also travel well in a tin, so they work as a homemade gift, much like a homemade pandoro star bread, that doesn’t need refrigeration.
FAQ
Why are my fave dei morti spreading flat instead of holding their bean shape?
Your dough is probably too soft or the butter was melted instead of just softened. Fave dei morti dough should feel like marzipan, firm enough to roll without sticking to your palms. If it spreads on the pan, chill the shaped cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
Can I use ground hazelnuts instead of almond flour in fave dei morti?
Yes, hazelnut flour works and gives a toastier, denser cookie, echoing the toasted hazelnuts in our no-bake salame di cioccolato. Swap it 1:1 for the almond flour, though the dough will feel slightly oilier since hazelnuts release more oil when ground. The bean shape and bake time stay the same.
Can I freeze fave dei morti dough before baking?
Yes, shape the cookies, freeze them on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen at 170 C / 340 F, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes until the edges turn pale gold.
What goes well with fave dei morti besides coffee?
A small glass of sweet Marsala or vin santo is the classic match, since the wine’s dried-fruit sweetness echoes the almond. A cup of black tea or espresso works too, and the cookies also fit well on a holiday cookie platter with cantucci.
Are fave dei morti gluten free?
Not as written, since the recipe uses 100 g of all-purpose flour alongside the almond flour. You can swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with good results, since almond flour already makes up most of the dry mix and keeps the crumb soft.
What’s the difference between fave dei morti and amaretti?
Fave dei morti are softer and shaped like flattened beans, while amaretti are round and either crisp or chewy depending on the style. Fave dei morti also lean on lemon zest and cinnamon rather than the bitter almond punch that defines classic amaretti.