Sassanelli translates to 'little rocks' in Italian, but these cookies are anything but! Chocolate, almonds and lemon zest flavour these little cookies, enjoyed round Christmas and the winter holidays. Another special ingredient is vincotto, a traditional sweet wine, but you can use port if vincotto is unavailable.
Used as a leavening agent before baking powder and bicarbonate of soda was available, ammonia is still used in some traditional recipes around the world. If you can't get your hands on it, for this recipe use 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder OR 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.