Italian Cookies

The Ultimate Biscotti Box

December 24, 2020 by Marisa Leave a Comment

The Ultimate Biscotti Box is a compilation of some of my very favourite biscotti recipes. All are truly easy to make, flavourful and perfectly dippable with a crisp tender bite.

Although there are quite a few biscotti recipes here on the blog, today we are going back to basics on how you can easily put together a delicious assortment of these yummy treats for the holidays.

Nowadays there are so many variations of these twice-baked Italian cookies. They’re all perfectly dunkable in a frothy cappuccino or espresso but especially so in Vin Santo, a sweet dessert wine.

And if you haven’t yet tried the latter then do give it a go at least once in your lifetime!

But you’re not only limited to a dessert wine. I thoroughly enjoy a good Italian cookie dipped in a fragrant Grappa soaking up all the delicate flavours.

What Are Biscotti?

Biscotti are for the most part, twice baked Italian cookies. But while growing up, the word biscotti was more of a generic word and every cookie was referred to as a “biscotto.” Biscotto being the singular form!

Biscotti which first appeared during the Roman Empire were the preferred choice of nourishment for travellers. And that’s because they contained no fats or dairy, which made them a perfect choice on long journeys.

In Tuscany they’re traditionally made with almonds, which grow in abundance from the almond groves of Prato and are called Cantucci or Biscotti di Prato!

Unlike the biscotti from the era of the Roman Empire, the ones you see here today are not your rock-hard and jaw-breaking cookies.

These are an assortment of both crunchy and tender cookies. They’re mostly butter based. But, with the noted exception of the Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti which is an olive oil based cookie.

What Are The Main Ingredients in Making the Ultimate Biscotti Box

I love playing around with different flavours and and testing out various additions such as dried fruit, nuts, zests and different extracts and spices.

But feel free to experiment with your own favourites add-ins.

First off when planning a biscotti bakeoff, make sure to have a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. Fresh is always best!

Ingredients for Best Biscotti

Flour – All purpose flour is ideal for baking biscotti. Before measuring out your flour, first give it a quick whisk while in its canister to loosen it. Then simply spoon the required amount into your measuring cup and level off the excess with the back of a knife or offset spatula.
Sugar – I typically bake with granulated sugar but I also love to use some aromatic vanilla sugar or brown sugar. Granulated sugar should be measured out the same as flour whereas brown sugar is usually firmly packed down into the measuring cup.
Eggs – Always use large eggs at room temperature when baking unless otherwise specified.
Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking. This way you’ll have total control on the amount of salt.
Oils – Butter can be replaced with neutral oils such as vegetable or canola oil. But I’ve used olive oil in my lemon biscotti with no visible difference.
Nuts – When using toasted nuts, remember to toast them just until fragrant because they will continue to toast during baking.
Dried Fruits – Dried wild blueberries, cherries, crystallized ginger or your own favourites.
Seeds -Such as poppyseeds.
Extracts – Pure vanilla extract is a key element when baking. Other pure extracts in my pantry are Almond, Anise and Amaretto.
Chocolate – White and dark chocolate chips plus more for melting and drizzling or dipping and Nutella.
Zests – Orange or lemon zest add a wonderful zing and make the flavours pop.
Decorative Sugar – They’re always optional and so much fun.

Equipment Needed

Use heavy gauged rimmed baking sheets for even baking.
Large sheets of 18×13 work well for biscotti and allows enough room to space 2 logs of biscotti apart on one sheet.
Parchment paper is a baker’s dream for easy clean-up. But it also ensures you lift a whole baked log seamlessly from the baking pan without any breakage.
A large sturdy wooden board for effortlessly slicing the logs.
A sharp thin knife or serrated knife (whichever works for you) to make clean even cuts.

How to Slice Biscotti

This is a question I get asked quite frequently.

First off, ensure your biscotti logs are firm to the touch after the first bake while keeping in mind not to over brown them because they will be going in for a second bake.

Although you can use a sharp serrated bread knife, I have much better success with a large thin sharp knife without serrated edges. This might be because I don’t allow my logs to cool completely before slicing.

While still slightly warm, the logs are much more pliable to a sharp knife. But you can test this out yourself. After the logs have cooled for 10 or 15 minutes, slice a few pieces and see if that works for you. If not then simply let them cool a little longer.

Also, I prefer to add chopped dried fruits and nuts to my biscotti dough for even cuts. Unless using wild blueberries since they are quite teeny tiny of course!

Ready for the Second Bake

On the second bake is where all the crispness happens. But they also continue to crisp up as they cool.

And for this reason, I always underbake them because I’m just not a fan of jaw-breaking hard biscotti! They’re just not my thing!

I love a good tender but crunchy bite to my biscotti!

Can You Freeze Biscotti?

You can absolutely freeze biscotti up to two months. I would first wrap them in wax or parchment paper and then place them in freezer bags for double insulation.

The Ultimate Biscotti Box Recipes

This selection of my ultimate biscotti recipes makes a wonderful presentation when brought to the table on a serving tray or decorative wooden box. But it’s also equally beautiful and much appreciated as a gift, all prettily wrapped up with cellophane paper and a festive bow.

Here are the 6 biscotti recipes in my Ultimate Holiday Biscotti Box!

These Nutella and Hazelnut Rolled Biscotti have fast become a new family favourite and are a delicious once baked variety. And, they’re far easier to make than they look.

Wild Blueberry Lemon Biscotti are studded with dried wild blueberries, almonds and white chocolate chops. They’re made with vanilla sugar and dressed up with a drizzle of white chocolate.

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti are reminiscent in taste of the much beloved peanut butter cookies. After the second bake they’re topped with a chocolate peanut butter drizzle and chocolate covered peanuts.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti are made with pistachios and dark wild cherries bottled in syrup. They’re perfect for baking! However, if you can’t find any you can substitute them with dried cherries or even cranberries.

This recipe for Candied Ginger and Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti is an oil based recipe. They’re sweet and tangy and studded with poppy seeds. To up the lemon flavour, I brushed the tops with a lemon glaze.

Chocolate Anise Biscotti are chock-full of dark chocolate chips with a lovely orange scent and the sweet flavours of both anise extract and ground anise.

And there you have it! Six yummy biscotti flavours for you to choose from for your next baking adventure!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope I’ve inspired you to create your own Ultimate Biscotti Box!

If you make any of these recipes be sure to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Classic Pizzelle: Italian Wafer Cookies

October 19, 2020 by Marisa 2 Comments

A recipe for Classic Pizzelle Cookies baked in an electric pizzelle press machine. These popular Italian cookies are anise flavoured, with specks of anise seeds throughout the cookie. And for chocoholics, there’s a variation for you as well.

Italian pizzelle are thin wafer-like cookies. They’re light, crisp and make a perfect accompaniment to an after diner digestif or just about anytime really!

These Italian wafer cookies are extremely popular during the Christmas and Easter holidays. But they also often make an appearance at other special occasions such as baptisms or communions and family gatherings.

The very first time I made these cookies were with anise seeds harvested from my dad’s garden. Nowadays, I contend myself with the store bought variety since dad’s garden lies mostly dormant.

I have tried many different ones and I must say my absolute favourite is the anise pizzelle speckled with some aromatic anise seeds. Both the anise seeds and extract are my go to flavour choices when making Chocolate Anise Biscotti.

However, if you’re not a fan of anise you can substitute the anise extract and seeds with vanilla, lemon or even almond extract.

Although wonderful all on their own, you can dust them with some powdered sugar for a little extra sweetness. Or not!

Served side by side, both the anise and chocolate variety make a striking combo

Pizzelle Recipe with Butter

Although you can make pizzelle with vegetable or canola oil, I much prefer the richness in flavour of the butter in these thin wafers.

Prep all your Ingredients for Anise Pizzelle

1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon anise seeds
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon anise extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, anise seeds and set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about one minute, just until thickened.

Reduce the speed to low and add in the melted butter, anise extract and mix just until all ingredients are combined, for about 15 seconds.
Next, add in the flour mixture and also mix until combined for another 15 seconds. Don’t over mix the batter.

If you’re not ready to bake the cookies at this point, you can cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate till ready to bake.

Simply bring the cookie batter to room temperature, for 30 minutes, before baking.

Tips for making perfect Classic Pizzelle

Depending on the type of pizzelle maker you have, you might need to grease the top and bottom grids for easy release of the cookies.

Use a flavourless vegetable oil or melted vegetable shortening.

I used a baking spray and it worked wonders. I only needed to grease the grids once for the entire recipe.

Scoop out approximately 1 and a half to 2 teaspoons of batter onto the hot cookie grids, while placing the batter just a little behind the centre of the patterned grid. This way, when closing the lid, the batter gets pushed forward to the centre yielding a more evenly rounded looking cookie.

I used teaspoons to drop the batter onto the hot grid but you can also use a small cookie scoop.

Close the lid, lock and bake.

My pizzelle press comes with different level settings for browning. I set mine at number 4 and baked the cookies for 60 seconds because I love them golden and crisp.

But if you prefer a lighter colour, reduce the baking time.

If you have a different pizzelle iron, follow the manufacturers instructions.

When ready, use a heat proof spatula to remove the cookies and place them in one single layer on a wire rack to cool.

Don’t worry too much if it spreads out from the outer circle, you can simply round off the edges with a scissor.

Things to do with Pizzelle

These thin Italian cookies can also be transformed into various shapes. Pizzelle, while still warm, can be rolled into cannoli shells and filled with sweetened ricotta.

To form the cannoli shape you’ll need a wooden or metallic dowel. The wooden dowel seen in the photo above actually came with my pizzelle iron but you can just as easily use the handle of a wooden spoon.

You can also sandwich 2 cookies together with ice-cream. Or you can turn a few into wafer cones and edible bowls to be used in a variety of ways.

Turning the wafer cookies into edible bowls is really quite fun to do!

Here I used a small liquor glass to form an edible ice-cream bowl.

Simply invert a cookie while still warm and pliable onto the glass while applying a gentle pressure downwards to shape the cookie. Take care not to crack the cookie and let cool inverted over the glass.

Then when ready to serve, top the cookie bowl with a scoop or two of your favourite ice cream.

Another delicious filling for these edible bowls is freshly whipped up Ricotta Mousse with Strawberries Romanoff. This would definitely make an incredibly beautiful dessert to impress family and friends.

A Quick Tip: Lighter coloured cookies are easier to mold or roll than the darker ones. The darker they are, the crispier they get and will easily crack when shaped.

I love pairing and serving both the anise and chocolate cookies together. So if you’re a chocoholic as I am, follow the instructions below to satisfy your chocolate cravings.

Variation: For the Double Chocolate Pizzelle

To make double chocolate cookies, reduce the flour to 1 and a half cups.
Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour mixture.
Add 2 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate to the sugar and butter mixture.
Omit both the anise seeds and extract.
Add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.

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5 from 3 votes

Classic Pizzelle: Italian Wafer Cookies

Anise and chocolate flavoured, Classic Italian Pizzelle Cookies. These Italian wafer cookies are light, crispy and incredibly easy to make. They can also be turned into edible bowls or cannoli shells.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian Wafer Cookies, Pizzelle

Servings:

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Pizzelle Press

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon anise seeds
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon anise extract

Instructions

PIZZELLE BATTER

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and anise seeds.
Place the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl.
With a hand held mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute till thickened slightly.
Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted butter and anise extract for about 15 seconds.
Mix in the flour just until combined, beating for about 15 seconds.
Don't over mix the batter.

Prep your pizzelle press according to manufacturers instructions.

I first set my Cuisinart electric press at number 4 and proceed with the recipe.
Grease the top and bottom grids with a non stick spray and preheat.
Spoon out 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of batter onto each cookie grid while centring the batter just a little behind the middle of the patterned grid. (when closing the lid the batter gets pushed forward slightly, yielding a more evenly rounded cookie.
Close and lock the lid while crisping the cookies for about 60 seconds.
When ready use a heat proof spatula to remove the pizzelle and transfer to a wire rack (in a single file) to cool completely.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Store in an airtight container for optimal freshness.
See chocolate variation in the notes below.½

Notes

Variation:

Double Chocolate Pizzelle

Reduce the flour to 1 and a half cups.
Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour mixture
Add 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (melted) to the sugar and butter mixture.
Omit both the anise seeds and extract and replace with 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract.

Recipe is adapted from the Cuisinart manual with a slight tweak in the Anise Pizzelle.

Nutrition

Baci di Dama: Italian Hazelnut Cookies

June 18, 2020 by Marisa 29 Comments

Baci di Dama are melt-in-your-mouth Italian hazelnut cookies. This easy to make recipe is an eggless based dough made with finely ground hazelnuts and nestled together with a dollop of dark sinful and silky chocolate.

Baci di Dama literally translates to lady’s kisses and these light and delicate hazelnut morsels are one of Italy’s famous cookies. They were made popular by the pastry shops of Tortona in the province of Alessandria which is in the Piemonte region of Italy.

Small wonder at that as hazelnuts from Piemonte are said to be the very best and also legally protected as “Nocciola Piemonte I.G.P“.

Although the history of Baci di Dama is somewhat hazy, what people most agree upon is that they resemble sensual lips pursed together while longingly bestowing a kiss on a loved one. The chocolate being the glue that softly binds a lovers lips together.

Italians are quite the romantic, are they not? Rhetorical question here!

How to make Baci di Dama

This recipe for baci cookies is really easy to make and your food processor will pretty much do all the work for you.

You’ll first need to grind your hazelnuts to a very fine texture and doing so with a little bit of sugar will ensure it doesn’t turn into a nut butter.

The remaining sugar is combined with the flour, salt and softened butter in a separate bowl and this mixture is worked into coarse crumbs.

This flour and butter mixture is then added into the food processor with the finely ground hazelnuts. You’ll then pulse with the food processor till the dough comes together in a dense mass. And now your cookie dough is formed!

Once your dough is ready you’ll need to chill it for at least 2 hours. There is no use trying to roll the cookie dough while it’s at room temperature. It will not roll into a firm ball!

Before chilling your dough, divide it into 4 equal portions. Wrap each portion individually with cling wrap and refrigerate it for a couple of hours. Or, if planning ahead you can also chill it overnight.

How to Shape Baci Cookies

The colder the dough is, the easier it is to roll.

Work with one portion of the dough at a time while keeping the remaining dough chilled.

Either scoop out small pieces of dough with a teaspoon or slice sections with a pastry cutter and then into small cubes. I find the latter easier to do because it’s quite a stiff dough.

Then simply roll the pieces of dough to the size of a hazelnut in its’ shell.

Once all the balls of dough are formed, you’ll need to chill them once again for at least 2 hours. Or if pressed for time, you can freeze them for 30 minutes.

You can chill or freeze the little dough balls directly on your parchment lined baking tray. This extra chilling time will ensure they don’t spread out and flatten.

Once baked they’ll have these cute rounded tops with an over all light golden brown colour.

How to Assemble the Baci Cookies

When ready to assemble the cookies, first try to match them in sizes.

I pair them on a cookie sheet while leaving one of the two turned over.

You can either spoon a dollop of melted chocolate on the flat side of the cookie or use a piping bag to do the job much quicker.

Top with a second hazelnut cookie, same in size, and press slightly together to form a sandwich. Then simply allow the chocolate to set before serving.

To speed up hardening of the chocolate, you can chill the assembled cookies for about 20 minutes or so. This ensures the hazelnut sandwich cookies stay intact.

With a lovely crumbly texture these classic Italian cookies are wonderfully fragrant which are largely due to the roasted hazelnuts.

After biting into one of these delicate cookies, I found them to be very reminiscent of the Baci chocolates. Whereas, my hubby insists that they are far more similar in taste to the Ferrero Rocher.

You’ll most certainly have to bake them and decide for yourself!

TIPS ON MAKING PERFECT DOMED SHAPED BACI DI DAMA

Make sure to finely grind the hazelnuts with the 2 tablespoons of sugar so that it doesn’t turn into a nut butter.
Chill the dough in the coldest part of your fridge at least two hours. Or, plan ahead and chill overnight.
Roll the cookie balls into the size of a hazelnut in its shell then chill for an additional 2 hours. If you’re short on time freeze the rolled cookies for 1/2 hour directly on the baking trays.
Bake one cookie sheet at a time at a low temperature of 300 degrees F, while keeping the remaining cookies well chilled.
Do not over bake the cookies as this will change the texture of the cookie. Remember we want them to be melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
The cookies are very fragile once out of the oven so do not touch them. They will break easily and will turn into a crumbled heap if you try to lift them off the cookie tray while still hot.
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet placed over a cooling rack.
Make sure they are completely cooled before filling with the melted chocolate.
Use a piping bag filled with the melted chocolate to fill the sandwich cookies. This works much quicker and less messy as well.
Allow yourself plenty of time and never rush a good thing! They are so worth it!

If you love sandwich cookies as much as I do, you’ll also enjoy these Butterball Cookies. They’re nut free cookies filled with a seedless raspberry jam and rolled in an aromatic vanilla sugar concoction for a sparkly appeal.

Both the Italian Baci di Dama and Butterball cookies make a lovely addition to any cookie platter!

Happy baking!

This recipe was first published January 30, 2017 and republished June 18, 2020 with updated photos and content.

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3 from 3 votes

Baci di Dama, Italian Hazelnut Cookies

Baci di Dama or Lady's kisses are melt-in-your-mouth Italian hazelnut cookies nestled together with a dollop of dark silky chocolate.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time13 mins

Course: Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Baci cookies, Baci di Dama, Italian Hazelnut cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 49kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 cup roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt I used fine sea salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Place the hazelnuts with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in a food processor. Process until the hazelnuts are finely ground. (leave in food processor).
Combine the remaining sugar, flour, a pinch of salt and the softened butter in a medium bowl.
Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work this mixture just until the butter is evenly distributed and resembles clusters of streusel topping.
Add the flour and butter mixture to the hazelnut mixture in the food processor. Pulse till the dough comes together in a dense mass.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
Wrap the dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. (I chilled my dough for 4 hours). The dough should be very cold and firm.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Unwrap the disk of dough and cut 1/2 inch strips.
Working with one strip at a time, cut the strip into 1/2 inch pieces of dough and roll each piece into smalls balls about the size of a hazelnut in its shell.
Place the balls on the parchment lined cookie sheet while spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Once you have filled one cookie sheet, place it in the fridge and repeat with the remaining cookie balls.
Chill the rolled cookies for about 1 hour or if pressed for time freeze for 1/2 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Bake one sheet at a time for about 13 minutes. They should look light golden brown in colour.
Place the cookie sheet onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the second cookie sheet.
Let the baked cookies cool completely before filling with the melted chocolate.
When ready to assemble the cookies place the dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and melt it on high for about one minute stopping to stir at 30 second intervals.
Use a small spoon or fill a piping container with the melted chocolate and put a dollop of chocolate on the flat side of a cookie.
Top (flat side down) with a second cookie while pressing down slightly to form a sandwich.
Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Store in a cool dry place.

Notes

This recipe for Baci di Dama was adapted from the cookbook, Dolci Italy's Sweets by Francine Segan with a few modifications.

I increased the amount of hazelnuts to a full 1 cup as this gave me an overall drier dough to work with and less flattened cookies as an end result.

I added a pinch of salt to sweeten the flavors. A little goes a long way in doing so!

Also, I baked the cookies at a lower temperature for an overall light golden brown cookie which yielded melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

Nutrition

Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

June 10, 2020 by Marisa 82 Comments

Tarallucci al limone are traditional Italian lemon knot cookies from southern Italy. They were very popular at weddings as they symbolize two people “tying the knot” in holy matrimony.

Today you will find them mostly at holidays and family gatherings. You’ll also find other shapes, such as the twist or a single ring form such as the ciambelle cookies.

They were not a typical cookie from my childhood, however most Italian families have a version of these tarallucci al limone.

My first encounter with these soft lemon cookies came from a local bakery and I fell in love with them at first bite! I set out to replicate them at home. However, after a few enquiries, I quickly came to realize that there are many ways to make them.

Some use butter or crisco shortening and others a vegetable oil.

The first time I tried them, I had opted for an oil based cookie and really have never looked back since.

They turned out soft, ever so tender and with a sweet lemon kick.

How to make Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

These Lemon knot cookies are pretty simple to make and with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder and the salt in a medium sized bowl.

Then with a stand mixer or a hand held mixer you’ll beat the eggs and sugar together.

Next in are the oil, cream, vanilla, lemon zests and juice while mixing until combined.

Add in the flour mixture and mix til thoroughly combined.

How to form knots for Italian Lemon Cookies

You can start forming the knots as soon as your tarallucci dough is ready, however if your dough is too soft simply cover it with a plastic wrap and set it aside for 15 minutes.

This will make it easier to roll out and it bears mentioning that the dough is very forgiving. So if you mess up the knots at the beginning, simply re-roll them!

Start by scooping out pieces of dough slightly smaller than a golf ball.

With lightly floured hands, roll the piece of dough out to about 7 inches long.

Twist the dough to form a loop while inserting one end through the loop to form a knot.

Place them about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet allowing them room to grow.

They don’t spread out too much but puff up rather prettily. When they’re ready they’ll look pale golden in colour with a slight browning on the outer edges.

My oven tends to darken cookies on the outer edge of the baking sheet. However it didn’t change the overall texture of the darker cookies.

Once the tarallucci cookies have cooled, dip them in a lemon glaze and place them on a wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off.

Make sure to place the wire rack over a baking sheet to catch all that drip.

Tarallucci can also be topped with sprinkles of your choice. But all you really need to adorn this simple Italian cookie is a luscious lemon glaze.

I love them just the way they are! Easy to make and oh so delicious!

And if you love lemon cookies as much as I do then you’ll adore these Lemon Ricotta Cookies. They’re an Italian classic cookie. So soft and with a melt-in-your-mouth bite!

This recipe was first Published June 19 2016 and republished June 10 2020 with updated content and photos.

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3.37 from 22 votes

Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

Tarallucci al Limone are Italian lemon knot cookies and extremely easy to make. These soft to the bite cookies are dipped in a luscious lemon glaze.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian lemon knot cookies, lemon cookies, tarallucci al limone

Servings: cookies

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Parchment paper

Ingredients

LEMON COOKIE DOUGH

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil vegetable or sunflower oil is also fine
1/4 cup cream I used 15% cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

LEMON GLAZE

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
With a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together for about 1 minute.
Add the oil, cream, vanilla extract, the lemon zest, lemon juice and mix until combined.
Mix in the flour mixture beating for 1 minute til the dough is thoroughly combined.
The dough will be soft and tacky but still easy to work with.
Transfer the dough to a work surface.
Cut off pieces of dough, slightly smaller than a golf ball and roll out into a log about a 1/2 inch wide and 7 inches long.
I start rolling the dough between the palm of my hands while keeping my hands lightly dusted with flour. And then finished rolling the dough out to 7 inches on a work surface.
Twist the dough to form a loop inserting one end through the loop while forming a knot.
Place on the prepared cookie sheet;
Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
I was able to fit 12 onto each pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. When done the cookies should be pale in colour with lightly browned edges.
Let cool on wire rack.

LEMON GLAZE

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice.
Transfer the lemon glaze to a smaller bowl for easy dipping.
Dip cookies one at at time in lemon glaze, letting excess glaze drip off.
Place cookies on cookie rack till glaze is completely set.

Notes

The original recipe was published on June 19, 2016.

I've revised the recipe and republished on June 10, 2020 with a few switch ups to ensure success in your own kitchens.

The flour amount was increased to 3 1/2 cups

I've decreased the oil to 1/2 cup.

I added 1/4 cup of cream.

And I've also added a tad more lemon zest.

You should have a soft and slightly tacky dough to work with and perfectly manageable to shape and knot.

Keep stored in an airtight container.

Cookies freeze extremely well.

Nutrition

Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies

May 23, 2020 by Marisa 9 Comments

These buttery and flaky Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies are made with a sour cream based dough and greatly resemble mini pastries. They’re little morsels filled with a sugar, cinnamon and nut mixture and never fail to please. A dusting of powdered sugar is all that’s needed to dress up these mini croissant cookies.

There are probably as many names to this type of croissant-like cookie as there are ways in which to make them. And this, I was soon to discover.

Years ago I set out to replicate the ones my mother-in-law diligently made for her family every holiday occasion as her hand written recipe book detailed the ingredients but not the instructions.

My mother-in-law’s croissant cookies were the prettiest cookies ever! Tiny twirls of goodness both flaky and crisp, packed with a sugar nut mixture and the unmistakable scent of cinnamon!

Hubby would literally pop them in his mouth as though they were popcorn!

Rugelach, Rogaliki, Italian Butterhorns

I was soon to learn that the cookies greatly resembled the Jewish pastry called Rugelach. A cream cheese based dough with a variety of fillings but most notably with a poppy seed filing.

Rogaliki, on the other hand is a Polish jam-filled croissant cookie similar to the Russian Rugelach.

This recipe however is more in tune with Italian Butterhorns made with a sour cream based dough recipe and a filling of cinnamon, walnuts and sugar mix.

But since we’ve always referred to them as little croissant cookies for many years, that’s what we continue to call them.

How to make Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies

This is a big batch recipe which you can absolutely break down in half. But you’ll probably not want to because they’re simply too irresistible!

And besides, you can easily freeze half of the dough to bake at a later time.

Start by creaming the softened butter for about 30 seconds then add the sugar and mix til light and fluffy.

Then mix in the egg yolks with the sour cream until well combined. The mixture will have a curdled appearance and that’s totally ok.

You’ll then stir in the flour and salt to the butter and sour cream mixture until the flour is fully incorporated. It’s really all there is to preparing the dough. Pretty simple right?!

At this point the dough is quite sticky and needs to chill before rolling it out.

You can divide the dough in two portions. Shape it in 2 disks, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or even overnight if you’re planing ahead.

But what I prefer doing is dividing the two disks of dough in quarters. So I’ll have 8 disks of dough chilling in the fridge till ready to use.

And next my friends is where the magic begins!

How to Shape Perfect Mini Croissant Cookies

I’ve been making these cookies for well over 25 years and I can easily work with 4 discs of dough at a time.

However, if you’re new to this type of cookie, I strongly urge you to work with 1 disc of dough at a time while keeping the remaining dough chilled.

When you’re ready to shape the pastry dough, dust your work surface and your rolling pin with flour.

Roll the dough out to a 10 inch circle while keeping the work surface and rolling pin dusted with flour to prevent sticking.

Brush the dough with melted butter and top with an even layer of cinnamon and nut sugar. You can use your hands to spread it evenly.

Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough in a neat criss cross pattern to form 4 wedges. Then slice each wedge into 4 triangle shaped pieces. You should have 16 pieces for each disc of dough.

How to Roll Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies

Start rolling the cookie dough from the widest end. Roll into a croissant-like shape.

Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined cookie sheet while spacing them about an inch apart. Make sure to have the end of the twirled cookie facedown on your cookie sheet.

I used 2, 14×20 cookie sheets and I’m able to fit 60 plus cookies onto each.

However, if your cookie sheets are smaller, you’ll probably need 4 baking sheets for this amount of cookies.

Bake the croissant cookies in a preheated oven for approximately 22 to 25 minutes.

I rotate my baking sheet half way through baking for even browning as the back of my oven tends to brown a lot quicker.

Aren’t they a thing of beauty? Even without the powdered sugar!

They turn out all golden brown with caramelized bottoms, flaky crusts and with wonderful aromas permeating throughout the kitchen.

You’ll need to allow them to cool on a cooling rack. And then a simple dusting of powdered sugar dresses them up so prettily.

But really, not that it needs much embellishment. They’re simply perfection!

Can You Freeze Sour Cream Cookie Dough?

This sour cream based cookie dough freezes beautifully. And that’s a good thing since this is a large batch cookie dough.

Simply halve the cookie dough and then quarter the dough into 8 separate discs. Wrap the 8 discs individually with cling wrap and place them in a freezer bag.

Freeze for up to 1 month. Then when ready to use, you can thaw the cookie dough overnight in the fridge.

Or bake half the batch of cookies and freeze the remaining half for another occasion.

Big batch cookie dough recipes like these croissant cookies are perfect for large gatherings such as Baby or Bridal Showers. Also for Weddings and Baptisms too.

They’ll dress up any dessert table quite beautifully!

But they’re also great for gift giving as well.

After all, who wouldn’t love a platter of these elegant pastries?!

Big Batch Cookie Recipes

If you’re pretty much into big batch baking as I am then you’ll also love these cute little Ciambelle Cookies. They’re Italian lemon scented ring cookies that you can decorate with any sprinkle of your choice. It yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Another favourite and quite popular cookie on the blog is this Italian Mostaccioli Cookie Recipe. It’s a traditional Italian cookie made with the addition of ground almonds and dipped in chocolate. It yields approximately 6 1/2 dozen cookies.

Happy baking and until the next recipe!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies

Cinnamon Walnut Croissant Cookies also known as rugelach or rogaliki are buttery and flaky little morsels rolled in a walnut, sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time24 mins

Shaping filling and rolling the cookies1 hr 30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon cookie, Cornetti, croissant cookie, nut cookie, pastry cookie

Servings: cookies

Calories: 74kcal

Equipment

Two 14x20 baking sheets or Four 11x17 baking sheets
Pizza cutter to slice dough into wedges

Ingredients

Croissant Cookie Dough

454 grams butter softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks from large eggs
500 mL sour cream
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt

Walnut Sugar and Cinnamon Mixture

1 ¼ cup walnuts
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon (corrected a typo Dec 17, 20)
2/3 cup melted butter
powdered sugar for dusting over the baked cookies

Instructions

Croissant Cookie Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for 30 seconds.
Mix in the sugar, while beating for about 1 minute till light and fluffy.
Next, mix in the egg yolks and sour cream till well incorporated. (It will look curdled and that's fine)
Switch to "stir mode" on the stand mixer and stir in the flour and the salt until the flour is thoroughly combined. (If not using a stand mixer, stir with a wooden spoon)
Divide the dough in half then each half into 4 pieces.
So you'll end up with 8 pieces of dough.
Wrap each piece in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Or chill overnight.
Meanwhile prepare the cinnamon, sugar and nut mixture.

Walnut Sugar and Cinnamon Mixture

In a food processor, pulse together the walnuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon, until you have a very fine mixture.
Divide the mixture equally in 2 separate bowls. (you'll be using 1 cup of mixture for each 4 discs of dough) This will ensure it's evenly divided.
Set the mixtures aside till you're ready to roll and shape the croissant cookies.

Filling the Croissant Cookies

Working with one disc of dough at a time, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10 inch round circle. (To facilitate rolling flour your rolling pin as well)
Brush the rolled out dough with some of the melted butter making sure to brush the entire surface.
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nut mixture over the buttered dough. (for each disc of rolled out dough, I sprinkle about 4 generous tablespoons of cinnamon nut mixture)
Cut the dough in a criss cross pattern of 4 equal wedges and then each wedge in 4 triangle slices. (you'll end up with 16 wedges)
Starting at the wide end, roll up each wedge into a crescent roll.
Transfer the cookies to parchment lined cookie sheets, placing them 1 inch apart.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for about 22 to 25 minutes or til golden brown in colour.
Allow the cookies to cool before dusting with the powdered sugar.

Notes

Note: Prepping the dough and the nut filling should take approximately 30 minutes.

Chilling time: Minimum 2 hours or even overnight if planning ahead.

Rolling and filling the cookies: The entire batch takes me approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to roll out, fill the cookies with nut mixture, cutting into wedges and finally rolling into croissant cookies.

Nutrition