Panforte is a traditional Italian Christmas confection, originating in Siena Italy, sometime in the 13th century. The word panforte means ‘strong bread’, either due to the spices used or the dense texture. Some say that traditional Panforte has 17 ingredients, one for each of the 17 districts of Siena. This Italian confection, loaded with honey, nuts, dried fruit, and spices is a cross between a cake, a fruitcake, and a candy. The texture is heavy and dense, chewy and a little sticky; the taste is sweet and spicy, nutty and fruity; it is oh-so delicious and easy to make. Panforte doesn’t really have a chocolate flavor, but the cocoa imparts a dark rich color. Panforte is baked in a round pan lined with edible rice paper, edible wheat starch paper, or parchment paper. To make Panforte, a cooked sugar and honey mixture is combined with the nuts, spices, and dried fruit mixture, and then smoothed into place in the pan. It gets a slow bake in the oven, just long enough to heat the ingredients together. After baking and cooling, the top is heavily dusted with powdered sugar. I sugar dusted my Panforte using a few star stencils just to give it a festive touch. This delicious and elegant confection should be cut into small servings, and is perfect with a cup of hot espresso.