Caschettas

Fluted Pastry with Dried Fruit and Nut Filling

9 ingredients•Prep: 1 hr•Cook: 15 mins

Katie Parla•

January 2, 2026

Some Sardinian sweets are so ornate, they practically require a degree in sculpture to properly execute. What is so fun about caschettas is that they look complex but are really easy to make—take it from someone who is truly cursed in the sculpting department. Just cut the dough into a rectangle, roll out the filling, wrap, crinkle, and bake! Caschettas are sweetened with Sapa, a grape molasses commonly used as a sweetener in Sardinia. You can find a similar Turkish product called üzüm pekmezi online and in stores specializing in Anatolian and Middle Eastern ingredients, or you can make your own.

Ingredients (9)

For the dough

“00 flour” or All-purpose flour(1 cup)
plus 2 Tbsp, plus more for dusting
Semolina flour(¾ cup)
plus 3 Tbsp
Granulated sugar(2 Tbsp)
Water(⅔ cup)
Good-quality lard or unsalted butter(2 Tbsp)

For the filling

Sapa or grape molasses(2 cups)
Orange zest(1 orange)
Finely-ground almonds, or almond meal(¾ cup)
Semolina flour(¼ cup)

Instructions

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the dough

Combine the “00” flour (1 cup), semolina (¾ cup), and sugar (2 Tbsp) in a large bowl, then make a well in the middle. Pour in the water (⅔ cup) and use a fork, then your hands to incorporate the water. Knead until smooth. Pinch in the lard and knead until it is incorporated and the dough is smooth and supple, about 5 minutes more.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Make the filling

Combine the sapa (2 cups) and orange zest (1 orange) in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the ground almonds (¾ cup) and semolina (¼ cup). Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes at hick paste. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Halve the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece into a rectangle that is roughly 1 ⅛ in thick. Alternatively, pass the dough through a pasta machine until you reach the thinnest setting and the dough sheet.
Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut the dough into four 3-inch-wide by 12-inch-long strips. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch-wide tip. Pipe the filling lengthwise along the center of each strip of dough. Fold the dough in half, then position it so the filling is closest to the table and the edges are facing upward. Pinch the dough around the filling every 1½ inches. Fan out the dough in the spaces between the pinches, revealing the filling. Shape the dough into a spiral.
Lay the shaped cookie on the prepared baking sheets and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Bake until the dough just starts to take color, about 15 minutes.
Set aside to cool completely before eating or storing.
The cooled cookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.