Cassatelle with Chickpea and Chocolate Filling

A unique twist on ricotta filled cassatelle, Cassatelle with Chickpea and Chocolate Filling are a delicious treat for Carnevale!

Carnevale is around the corner again, specifically on February 25rd this year. So it's time to savor a few tasty sweets usually made for Carnevale which marks the beginning of Lent.

Lent is typically associated with the penitential period (40 days to be exact) of preparations for Easter. So it's no wonder that Italians indulge in a day of festivities and decadent desserts! Cassatelle with Chickpea and Chocolate Filling are one of those treats.

Cassatelle or cassateddi as they are called in the Sicilian dialect are small crescents of dough that are commonly filled with a sweet ricotta mixture.

Here is the recipe of the ricotta filled version that I already shared with you.  In fact, this is one of the most commonly sought recipes on my blog!

I adore anything filled with ricotta but I was intrigued when I discovered this variation filled with sweet chickpeas and chocolate. This filling is typical of Palermo. 

Ground chickpeas sweetened with cinnamon, powdered sugar and chocolate chips.  An unlikely combination, wouldn't you say?  In fact my family was skeptical when I first mentioned it to them.  Until they tasted them that is! 

This odd sounding filling actually works.  In fact, you really can't tell there are chickpeas in them. Once fried (or baked if you prefer) the result is a creamy cinnamon scented filling with the occasional bite of sweetness from the chocolate which has melted.

Typical sweets served for Carnevale in Sicily:

Each time I ask my mother which sweets were usually served during a particular holiday, her response is always the same:

Cannoli filled with pastry cream or ricotta (as I prefer them) 

Sicilian Pignolata 

And another one more typically associated with Carnevale:

Chiacchiere di Carnevale

 

Baked vs Fried Cassatelle

You may notice a general theme in the Carnevale desserts I just listed. Yes indeed, they are all fried!  I did say decadent sweets, right?

But like me, you don't always want to deep fry. So, I decided to fry a few cassatelle as well as bake some. Both versions turned out wonderful, so I've decided to share with you instructions for both methods below.

And, I'll show you what to do with those leftover scraps of dough that you always seem to have after you've used up your filling!

Let's proceed with my step by step instructions with images.  You can find the detailed printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to make Cassatelle with Chickpea and Chocolate Filling

Begin by preparing the dough:

Place flour and sugar in the bowl of your food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

Alternately, you can prepare the dough by hand as I did here for my cassatelle with ricotta filling. 

Add cubed butter and freshly grated zest of an orange. Pulse a few times until the butter has broken down and the mixture is crumbly.

Beat 2 eggs with Marsala in a bowl.  With the food processor running on low speed, pour the egg mixture in through the top feeder. Process until a dough begins to take shape.

Dump the crumbly dough onto your work surface and knead for a minute or two until a dough is formed. Shape into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling:

Place canned chickpeas (which have been drained and rinsed) in the food processor or blender.  Blend until finely ground. Add cinnamon and powdered sugar and process until well combined.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in chocolate chips. I prefer semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.

Assemble the cassatelle:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 4 pieces.  Use a pasta machine (or rolling pin if you don't have one) to roll out each piece of dough. I pass the dough twice through each setting up until the second to last setting.

Cut the sheets of dough into approximately 12 cm circles. I have this handy empanada cutter (shown below) to cut the circles. You can use a doughnut cutter or even a glass .

Fill the cassatelle: place a teaspoon of chickpea filling in the bottom third of the circle of dough.  Fold over pinching the edges together and use a fork to crimp the edges in order to seal them well. Continue with the remaining dough.

Fry the cassatelle: Fill a wide, deep skillet with approximately 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil. Verify if the oil is hot enough for frying by placing the handle of a wooden spoon in the center of the skillet.  If the oil immediately begins to bubble vigorously around the handle, it is ready. 

Carefully lower a few cassatelle, without overcrowding your skillet, into the hot oil.  When they are golden and the dough has bubbled, flip them over to brown the opposite side.  This will take 2-3 minutes.  Lift them out with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel covered surface to absorb excess oil.  

Let cool before dusting lightly with powdered sugar.

Instructions for baking cassatelle:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Place the filled cassatelle on parchment paper covered sheet pan.  Brush the cassatelle with a beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes, until golden.

You'll notice the dough does not bubble as in the fried cassatelle however it does crisp up and they are just as delicious. And once dusted with powdered sugar they look quite presentable as their fried counterparts!

Tips and suggestions:

• If you don't have any Marsala wine on hand to add to the dough, try substituting red Port wine.
• If you have time, you can cook your own chickpeas for the filling instead of using canned ones.
• Vary the flavor of the filling by adding some grated orange zest to the chickpea mixture.
• If you are health conscious and concerned about the frying, you can still enjoy your cassatelle by baking them as described above.
• Once you have used all up your filling, you may have a few leftover scraps of dough left. Don't throw it out! Roll it out, cut into strips and fry to make chiacchiere.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Now you're all set to enjoy your cassatelle for Carnevale or any time of year for that matter!  Let me know how much you enjoyed this recipe by rating it in the recipe card below.  Feel free to Pin it for later! Happy Carnevale!