Calzoni di Ceci: An Italian Dessert Calzone

Chickpea chocolate dessert calzone, aka Calzoni di Ceci, is a special southern Italian-fried pastry made during the holidays.  Rooted in Muro Lucano, my husband's hometown, this Italian Christmas dessert is a cherished family tradition!

I love traditions, especially when they come in the form of these Calzoni di Ceci.

For nearly forty years, I've had the privilege of spending Christmas Eve with my husband's family. And every single year, my sister-in-law, Angelina, makes her famous dessert calzone filled with a mixture of chocolate and chickpeas. That's almost forty years of these delicious Italian pastries!

In case you are wondering, they are similar to the caggionetti recipe found in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

About ten years ago, Angelina invited me to learn how she makes them. I had wanted to do this for thirty years, but somehow, it just never happened-much to my embarrassment.

One special weekend, my daughter and I finally learned how to make this family recipe from Muro Lucano… but I walked away with so much more.

Following the passing of my mom, I finally began to understand and truly appreciate the importance of keeping family traditions alive.

That’s why I started this blog. I wanted to document my family recipes and preserve those cherished traditions for generations to come. 

Traditions aren't just a link to the past-they're a way to relive and create special memories with loved ones.

A few years ago, my sister-in-law called me with an invitation I could not refuse. She was planning to make her calzoni. The chocolate filling is made on Saturday, and the assembly of the calzones takes place on Sunday. 

The wheels were set in motion… I was super excited!

That evening, as I fell asleep, my last thoughts were of chocolate-covered chickpeas (ceci is chickpea in Italian)… sweet dreams indeed!

Jump to:

• The chocolate chickpea filling 
• Prepping the dough and filling
• Time to fry
• Tips 
• FAQ
• Fried Italian desserts
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

The chocolate chickpea filling 

The next morning, my sister-in-law was already up and waiting for me. She informed me that her daughter would also be participating in this event.  

I was bursting with excitement! We began gathering the ingredients and in walked my lovely niece, along with one of her sons.

As we weighed and measured and discussed all the ingredients that went into the filling, the doorbell rang and in walked yet another relative, not to make calzoni, but just passing by to give his best wishes for Christmas.

At that particular moment, it was as though I had a vision of Christmas past. I remember family and friends dropping by my parent’s house just to have an espresso and whatever my mom was pulling out of the oven.

The conversation was never hurried. It was always in the moment like it was this Saturday morning.

Today, the conversation had a tone of appreciation and respect… and I was again reminded of all the effort our mothers and grandmothers made to have everyone gathered around the table, just enjoying a simple conversation and simple food. It really was beginning to feel like Christmas.

Making the chocolate chickpea filling was a relatively short process.

Start by draining and rinsing 1 can (540 mL or 19 fl oz) of canned chickpeas. Heat the drained chickpeas in a small pot of water over medium heat until warm.

Add the following ingredients to a food processor while waiting for the chickpeas to warm up.

• 60 mL (¼ cup) lukewarm espresso coffee
• 40 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
• 115 g (4 oz) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 125 mL (½ cup) honey
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) rum
• Grated zest of 1 orange

Drain and transfer the warm chickpeas to the food processor.

Then, blend until smooth and well combined.

Transfer the filling to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Prepping the dough and filling

The next morning, I had a rendezvous at Angelina’s house to complete the process.

My daughter wanted to come too. And so, early Sunday morning, off we went!

Five minutes after I walked in the door, my niece, Angelina’s daughter, came in yet again through the back door, this time with two of her sons by her side and armed with her stand mixer.

It had been established during the conversation from the day before that we would bring these Calzoni di Ceci, into the 21st century. Instead of kneading the dough by hand, we were going to use the stand mixer.

We had a lot of calzoni to make – and when I say a lot, I mean approximately 700 – this is some serious calzoni making!

Don’t worry, though; the recipe I am sharing with you today will yield about 12 dozen. 

The dough comes together in no time.

In a large mixing bowl (of a stand mixer), measure or weigh 3½ cups (500 g) of all-purpose flour and mix it with 125 mL (½ cup) each of vegetable oil, white wine, and water-that's it! Use the dough hook attachment and beat at medium speed until a dough ball is formed.

Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, we prepared our workstations.

I was stationed at portionning the chocolate filling. I love using my medium scooper to portion the filling (16 grams) and then cut it in half to create equal portions (7-8 grams each), basically about a teaspoon of dough. 

During this preparation, more reinforcements walked in through the door. This time, they took on the shape of Angelina’s daughter-in-law (armed with Tim Horton’s coffee!) and three of her small grandchildren. After some quick catching up, we returned to the business of making the calzoni.

My sister-in-law showed us the pastry cutter with which her great-grandmother Felicia used to make the same calzoni di ceci over 100 years ago.

She only takes it out of storage to make these little gems. We nicknamed this rustic pastry cutter Felicia. 

In the process, another generation learned of pastry cutting techniques from a hundred years ago.

At this point, you need to roll out the dough. You can use a rolling pin, but using a pasta roller makes the whole process a lot easier. 

• Start at level 1 and work your way up to level 4. The higher the number, the thinner the dough. 
• Create two long strips of dough, approximately 6.4 cm (2½ inches) wide.
• Place 1 teaspoon of filling at equal intervals along one strip. Cover with the second strip of dough.
• Press around each mound of filling to seal, then cut into individual calzoni. 
• Re-roll dough scraps and continue assembling.
• Place calzoni on a clean tea towel while waiting to fry.

It’s important not to have any air bubbles inside the wrapper as this might cause the wrapper to open, allowing the filling to escape into the oil (when deep frying) and making a mess.  

Oh, and you need to make a little indentation on the top.

Why?

Because I was told, it’s tradition 😉

We are halfway through this process and thank goodness the reinforcements just keep coming. This time, they were one of Angelina’s sons, wife, and daughter.

Of course, Angelina’s husband was also around, which means that at this point, we reached a total of 14 people, making calzoni together. The more the merrier, that’s what I say!

At this point, it’s just a matter of repeating the process.

Time to fry

Fill a large, deep pan with vegetable oil to about 5 cm (2 inches) deep. Heat the oil to 180- 190°C  (350- 375°F). Use a thermometer to ensure consistent temperature.

Gently lower a few calzoni into the hot oil.

After 15-20 seconds, flip and fry for another 10-20 seconds. They should be golden and crispy looking. When you get it at the right temperature, frying both sides takes less than one minute. 

Remove the fried calzoni and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Just before serving, sprinkle your Calzoni di Ceci with either icing sugar or granulated sugar.

The dough is beautifully crisp and not soggy, with a texture reminiscent of a thinner eggroll shell. The chocolaty chickpea filling is divine! 

UPDATE: Since sharing this recipe, I've experimented with an air fryer version, and the results are incredible. These chestnut cookies also known in Italian as caggionetti come out perfectly crisp and delicious!

Tips 

• Maintain the oil between 180-190°C  (350-375°F). Use a thermometer to monitor the heat. If the oil is too hot, the calzone will brown too quickly. If it's too cool, they'll absorb too much oil and become greasy.
• Fry only a few pieces of dough at a time. Overcrowding lowers the oil temperature, leading to uneven cooking and soggy treats.
• These are best eaten the day they are made.

FAQ

Fried Italian desserts

Recipe origins

I know, I know-if you know me, you know I'm not a fan of frying. But for a few special recipes, I'll gladly make an exception. Plus, it's tradition!

This recipe originates from Muro Lucano, in the Italian region of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. A truly beautiful area of Italy. That is where my husband and his family grew up before immigrating to Montreal.

I had an absolutely magical weekend making this chocolate calzone… after all, this is what Christmas is all about: spending time with the ones that mean the most to you!

These are definitely a labor of love-so gather the family and make it a holiday tradition you’ll cherish for years to come!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas, a Joyeux Noel and magical moments with the ones that you love!

Buon Natale a tutti!

★★★★★ If you have made this dessert calzone, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

I originally published this post on December 24, 2015, and republished it on December 14, 2024, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing.