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Chocolate Salami is one of the easiest and the most delicious desserts to prepare during the holidays. It requires no cooking at all — just a few minutes of prepping and it stays fresh for months!

Sliced chocolate salami

Europeans are known for creating all sorts of savory homemade sausages. In fact, every year my family gathers around to make our signature Homemade Kielbasa Sausage Recipe. It’s the perfect way to save money and fill your backup freezer with a couple dozen sausages for a rainy day.

And my people’s love for sausage doesn’t just stop at the savory variety. During the holidays, my family huddles together and makes the perfect addition to any holiday tray — chocolate salami!

Yes, you read right. Chocolate salami is a meat-free log of sweet cocoa, crushed biscuits, nuts, and more. It’s dense, rich, and so delicious. In my rendition, I add in dulce de leche (cooked condensed milk) to make it that much more decadent.

Wondering where the heck this funky treat came from? Chocolate salami is a traditional Portuguese dessert that has gained popularity all around Europe. You’ll find it stocked in bakeries and sweet shops throughout the continent during the holidays.

Ingredients for chocolate salami

Chocolate Salami Video

How to Make Chocolate Salami

Chocolate Salami surely looks impressive, but it’s actually super easy to make. In fact, my siblings and I used to gather around and make it ourselves since it requires no baking and is shaped easily like you’re playing with clay. Follow the steps below to create the perfect log:

  • If you don’t already have butter at room temperature, place some on the counter and allow to soften. Gather the rest of your ingredients.
  • Rough crush your biscuits into small pieces in a blender or food processor. Add in cacao powder and combine well.
  • Add butter, dulce de leche, and condensed milk. Mix to combine well. Add rough chopped pecans into the mixture.
  • Scoop a cup of the chocolate mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Shape into a log and wrap tightly.
  • Refrigerate salamis for a few hours or freeze it until they harden.
  • Dust with powdered sugar. Slice to serve or keep whole for your holiday tray.
crushed cookies in a bowl
cacao powder, cookies, butter and condensed milk
chocolate salami mixture in a bowl with nuts
wrapped chocolate salami

Storing Chocolate Salami

Chocolate Salami is the perfect prep-ahead dessert. Here’s how to store it:

  • Refrigerating: When kept wrapped tightly in plastic, chocolate salami will stay fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. To keep it fresh for longer, slice of pieces as you go. This will keep the salami nice and moist.
  • Freezing: Freeze your salami for up to a couple of months wrapped tightly in plastic. Only dust it with powdered sugar right before serving.

FAQ

What nuts are good in chocolate salami?

I love to use crushed pecans for this recipe. However, feel free to use your favorite nut or a combination of several. Pistachios, almonds, and cashews all work great.

What are the best cookies for chocolate salami?

Plain biscotti or any classic tea biscuit will work for this recipe. You don’t want too sweet a cookie since this chocolate salami is already packing some major sweetness.

Other Treats to Try:

Looking for other decadent sweets to add to your holiday dessert tray? Here are a couple other unique treats that will be sure to impress your friends and family:

Recipe

Sliced chocolate salami

Chocolate Salami

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Servings
16 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Chocolate Salami is one of the easiest and the most delicious desserts to prepare during the holidays. It requires no cooking at all — just a few minutes of prepping and it stays fresh for months!

Ingredients

US Units – Metric

Instructions

  • Prepare all your ingredients for the chocolate salami. Make sure that your butter is at room temperature.
    Ingredients for chocolate salami
  • Using a blender or food processor, rough chop biscuit cookies into small pieces. Don't worry if there are little chunks left over, they will add to the character of the sausages. Add cacao powder and give a couple more pulses to combine.
    crushed cookies with cacao powder
  • Add butter, dulce de leche, and condensed milk. Mix to combine. Break pecans into smaller chunks and stir in.
    chocolate salami mixture in a bowl with nuts
  • Scoop out one cup of mixture onto a prepared plastic wrap or parchment paper. Shape into a log and wrap tightly.
    chocolate salami ingredients on a plastic
  • Refrigerate sausages for a few hours or freeze until they harden.
    wrapped chocolate salami
  • Dust with powdered sugar before slicing.
    Sliced chocolate salami
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Salami
Amount Per Serving
Calories 312 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Cholesterol 36mg12%
Sodium 251mg10%
Potassium 133mg4%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 366IU7%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted November 18, 2020

About Author

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Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.