Chocolate Salami (or salame di cioccolato) is made of decadent dark chocolate mixed with nuts, white chocolate, cookies and a hint of orange. With no meat in sight and no cooking involved,  they make great gifts and a delicious chocolate treat.

A chocolate salami with some slices on a slate board wrapped in string with a knife

I was watching a show on the Food Network and they featured a confectioners store in Los Angeles where they sell chocolate salami. This reminded me that we did have something like this from a shop in Lake Como Italy a few years ago. Being that it is an Italian dessert and my husband being Sicilian, requested that I make one as soon as possible.

Chocolate in the shape of a salami filled with nuts and cookies

After watching the process I actually couldn’t believe how easy is was to make. A popular treat, they are sometimes made boozy with port wine rum, but I chose omit the booze and to flavor the chocolate with orange, a delicious combination.

I brought them over to a friends house and she said, ‘I just had chocolate bacon the other day and loved it’. She really thought it looked like real salami. The outside is dusted with powdered sugar, then tied up with kitchen twine, just like an authentic Italian salami. She was so fascinated, as well as enjoying the chocolatey goodness, I decided to give them as gifts.

How to Make Chocolate Salami – Step by Step

Chocolate chips, nuts, butter and cookies. The ingredients to make chocolate salami

The chocolate and butter are melted and the nuts, crushed cookies, white chocolate and orange are mixed in then the mix is refrigerated. Once set, the chocolate is shaped into the salami shape and wrapped in plastic wrap to help retain the shape and refrigerated 1 last time to set.

2 chocolate salami wrapped in plastic wrap

The next 2 steps are what really make give them the salami look. The logs are dusted with powdered sugar to give the look of it wrapped in paper, then wrapped in kitchen twine. The plastic wrap creates ridges on the outside of the chocolate which mimics the ridges on the outside of a salami when it’s peeled. To wrap the salami in chocolate you start at one end with a knot leaving one end very long.

Chocolate salami made to look like real salami dusted with powdered sugar and tied with string

Turn the salami sideways towards you. Take the long end, loop over your left hand and under the salami towards you.

Chocolate salami wrapped in string

Then loop the long end through the loop and pull through with your left hand so it looks like this below. You then continue doing this down the length of the salami so it looks wrapped and tie the twine off at the end to secure.

Demonstrating how to wrap string around chocolate salami

Another tip to make it look like salami when sliced, chop the nuts, cookies and white chocolate different sizes to make it look like the chunks of fat that are in a salami. Any nuts you prefer can be used, I used pistachios and almonds.

A chocolate salami sliced showing the inside studded with cookies and nuts

I recently made a Christmas/festive version, White Chocolate Salami which has added dried cranberries that is a pretty contrast with the white chocolate. Delicious too!

A sliced white chocolate salami showing the nuts and dried cranberries inside.

More Chocolate Recipes:

Yield: 6 -8

Chocolate Salami

A closeup of a cut chocolate salami with nuts and cookie inside. Made to look like meat salami

Chocolate salami is made of decadent dark chocolate mixed with nuts, white chocolate, cookies and a hint of orange. 

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (150 grams) mixed unsalted nuts, I used pistachios and whole almonds
  • 12 ounces (350 grams) semi sweet or miik chocolate
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons white chocolate, cut into small pieces
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
  • 1/4 cup (37 grams) plain vanilla cookies, broken into pieces
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. Add the nuts in a single layer to a large skillet over medium low heat. Toast the nuts turning every minute until slightly browned and toasted. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
  2. Add the chocolate and butter to a microwave-proof dish and microwave on high in 20 second increments, stirring in between until they have melted and well combined. Stir in the nuts, white chocolate, orange zest, and cookies. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the chocolate for 1 hour. After 1 hour remove the cooled chocolate.
  3. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap onto your surface.
  4. Take half of the chocolate and place in the center and form into a 7 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch log. Wrap the log with the plastic wrap, roll on the surface to create a smooth roll and twist ends tight to form a tight log.
  5. Repeat with the other half of the chocolate.
  6. Refrigerate for 1 hour until they are nice and firm.
  7. Remove from plastic wrap and roll in powdered sugar. Tie kitchen twine around for effect and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
  8. To store: Wrap well and it should keep for up to 2 weeks

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 188Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 22mgSodium 21mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 18gProtein 2g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.