Biscuit Salami (Salam de Biscuiți)

Recipe #5: no bake communist-era classic that's worth making every time

I am yet to meet someone who doesn't love biscuit salami.

I am also yet to meet someone who can’t make biscuit salami.

I am also not going to debate where this recipe is originally from… some say Italy, or Portugal, or Romania… but almost every European country has a variation of this on its list of desserts.

It’s that good.

chocolate rum walnut biscuit salami

Disclaimer: this is not a low fat recipe. Some things in life are meant to be savoured unapologetically—this is one of them.

This dessert uses butter biscuits (Petit Beurre, or Marie), chocolate, milk, butter, sugar, cling wrap, and a fridge or freezer. You could probably use your favourite crunchy cookie and achieve some incredible variations.

Traditionally, a few splashes of rum or port wine brings warmth and depth to the mix—but you can absolutely keep it alcohol-free or use rum essence.

I’ve thought about many ways to spice this dessert up that I haven’t yet tried;
they’ll be listed at the end of the post!

raffaello chocolate biscuit

The great thing about this dessert is that you can customise it and add mix-ins until the cows come home.

But I don’t see anyone actually doing this? When my Romanian cousin tasted my white chocolate coconut version (tasted just like the classic Raffaello chocolate), she said she had never tried something other than plain chocolate-rum. She’s in her 40’s. Sad.

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Chocolate Rum Walnut Biscuit Salami

chocolate rum walnut biscuit salami

Ingredients

This recipe makes 1 x 30cm log, about 5cm in diameter.

• 250g butter biscuits (Petit Beurre or similar, just something super crunchy)

• 80g butter

• 100ml milk

• 50g sugar

• 25g cocoa powder

• 50g dark chocolate (>75%)

• 1-3 teaspoon rum essence (or vanilla, add this with heart)

• 50g walnuts/almonds (optional)

• 50g raisins soaked in water or rum (RECOMMENDED!)

Instructions

1. Prepare the biscuits: break them into medium-small pieces. Don’t crush them completely! Look back at the photos for size reference. If using nuts, lightly toast and roughly chop them.

2. Make the syrup: in a saucepan or a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter together with the sugar, cocoa, milk, and chocolate (if using). Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and stir in the rum essence (or alcohol, if using).

3. Combine everything: pour the liquid mixture over the biscuits and add in the nuts and raisins if using. Mix well so all the biscuits are coated, it takes a few minutes! It’ll look a little wet. Trust the process, and taste the batter; you won’t regret it.

4. Shape the salami: this part gets a little messy. Place the mixture onto plastic wrap (I dump it all on there) and shape it into a log about 30 cm long using the plastic wrap to help. This takes a few goes, maybe 5-10, of using the plastic wrap to roll the mixture, compress, unroll, flip from the other side, repeat. Patience. Using a silicone mat helps. When you’ve made a big log, roll it tightly and twist the ends of the wrap to seal.

5. Dust/coat (optional: at this point, you can roll the log into either cocoa powder, crushed walnuts, coconut, whatever it may be.

6. Chill: fridge: minimum 4 hours, freezer: 1-2 hours. Until it’s pretty solid!

7. Serve: slice and serve as is.

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Raffaello (White Chocolate Coconut) Biscuit Salami

Ingredients

• 250g biscuits (Petit Beurre or similar)

• 100ml sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, or regular milk

• 80g white chocolate, melted

• 80g butter

• 30g sugar

• 50g shredded coconut (or as much as you’d like, really, and for extra flavour, toast the coconut prior to adding it in!)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Extra shredded coconut for coating

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~SPICY SUGGESTIONS~

For a chocolate salami:

• adding espresso and rum, or just espresso and dusting with cocoa powder

• candied oranges and orange juice for a classic jaffa flavour

• mint and peppermint essence?! omg

• freeze dried raspberries or strawberries. yes.

• hazelnuts, obviously, for a classic nutella flavour

• AMARETTO

• baileys liquor

• all the liquors

For a white chocolate salami:

• using coconut liquor

• adding lemon zest and lemon juice, like a lemon-coconut slice

• using the white chocolate coconut mix but crunchy chocolate biscuits?

• white chocolate, walnut & raisin

• ANY DRIED FRUIT REALLY, cranberries?! apricots??? salivating

• S A L T E D P I S T A C H I O

…I wrote this at 9:20pm, and I’m so hungry.

Thanks for being here!

V x