Calisson d’Aix. A delicious French Christmas sweet

For 8 € 0.8 /pers. 458 kcal/100g

At Christmas we all want to enjoy friendship, family, love, a small break in life to rest with those we love most. And there is no better way to do it than enjoying a sweet treat .

On these dates, there are a lot of recipes for Christmas sweets that cannot be missed, such as the roscón de reyes , the Polvorones or some fun Christmas cookies . But there are times when we like to try new things, innovate and bring recipes from outside our borders to see if it’s worth it. Today is one of those days, and we can tell you that it is worth it . We bring you a traditional French recipe: Calisson d’Aix, a rich and delicious sweet based on fruits and almonds with a delicate and elegant flavor. Sounds good huh?

The Calisson d’Aix has many stories behind it. One of the legends states that the origin of this sweet is related to French royalty . Apparently, the first Calisson d’Aix were prepared for the wedding between King René of Anjou and Queen Jeanne de Laval. It is said that the queen had a somewhat discouraging reputation (we can say that she was a bit nappy), but she was enthralled when she tried the Calissons. After conquering her palate, and as an exception in what would become her reign, Jeanne de Laval had a delicate smile on her face.

The queen went to ask the pastry chef what those sweets were that had intoxicated her, to which it is said that the pastry chef replied: ” They are from hugs, my queen .” In Provençal, her response must have been something similar to ” di cuddle souns” , from which the name Calisson would derive due to its phonetic similarity. It is also said that the shape they are given today tries to imitate that slight smile that the Calissons awakened on the face of Jeanne de Laval.

There is no doubt, the story is beautiful. If these sweets could make a bitter queen smile, won’t they make your diners smile?

Preparation of Calisson d’Aix

1. The first thing we will do to prepare the Calissons d’Aix is ​​to prepare a medium-sized pot. In it, we add the ground almonds, the powdered sugar and the orange and apricot jam. We mix well in the pot and put it over medium heat. You have to stir well and constantly so that the dough does not stick to us. Cook for 7 minutes and remove the dough to let it cool.
2. Once the dough has tempered, flour the counter or the surface we are going to work with with a little more powdered sugar (you can use ground almonds if you want to avoid excess sugar). We knead well and stretch the dough with the help of a rolling pin. With the help of a mold or other utensil that can help you, we are going to cut the Calissons in that smile shape, more or less 3-4 centimeters long.
3. Once we take out the Calissons, we take advantage of the remaining dough to knead again and get the most out of it, making a few more with that dough. Once we have as many as we can, we place them on a baking tray covered with a sheet of baking paper.
4. We prepare the glaze that will cover the Calissons. It’s very simple, you just have to separate an egg white and mix it with 150 grams of powdered sugar. Once we have the glaze ready, we use a spatula to delicately cover the surface of each of the Calissons.
5. When we have all the sweets covered, we let them rest while we preheat to 150º C. Once it is at the desired temperature, we must turn off the oven and insert the tray . Yes, you read correctly, that’s the trick. We will leave them in the oven for 5 minutes with the residual temperature.
6. Once those five minutes have passed, we will let the Calissons cool for another ten minutes and they will be ready for tasting.

As you have seen, the recipe that we bring you from Calissons is simple and elegant. Added to the great story behind them, you will surely surprise your guests.

These dates are a great time to take advantage of that free time to prepare some Christmas pastries . There are options for everyone.

From the most elegant ones, like this traditional French recipe that we have brought today, to some super fun ones, like the gingerbread house accompanied by gingerbread men and mini Christmas fir trees . Everyone enjoys Christmas the way they like best, but the important thing is that the flavor of “hugs” is well present.