Italian Cookies

Taralluci al Limone

June 19, 2016 by Marisa 58 Comments

Taralluci al limone are traditional lemon cookies from southern Italy. They’re also referred to by other names, such as Italian love knots and 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 taralluci 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. I opted for the oil version as I didn’t have any shortening on hand and I wanted an alternative to butter.

My first try was an epic failure, as I could not get my dough to come together!

Thankfully my perseverance paid off! After the fourth attempt, I got them just right.

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

A FEW TIPS ON MAKING TARALLUCI AL LIMONE

You can start forming the knots as soon as your taralluci 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!

If the dough is still too soft after the resting time, work in a little more flour, just enough to to be able to roll the taralluci.

Place them about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet to give 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.

Taralluci can also be topped with sprinkles of your choice. I love them just the way they are!!

The dough can also be mixed together entirely by hand and then kneaded til soft and pliable but requires a lot more elbow work.

A stand mixer or hand held mixer works just wonderfully and is faster and easier…a win, win for busy moms!

Whichever way you make them, enjoy these yummy cookies with coffee, tea or even a cold glass of milk!

Taralluci al Limone

A soft and tender Italian cookie, lemon flavored and topped with a lemony glaze.

Course Cookie

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Taralluci al Limone

Servings 24 cookies

Author Marisa

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil vegetable or sunflower oil is also fine
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 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 2 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, 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 should be soft and pliable at this time.
Cover with saran wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. (this will make it easier to roll)
If the dough is still too soft, after the resting time, simply work in a little more flour, just enough to roll the taralluci.
Transfer the dough to a work surface.
Cut off pieces of dough, about the size of a golf ball and roll out into a log about a 1/2 inch wide and 6 inches long.
Twist the dough to form a loop inserting one end through the loop while forming a knot.
Place on 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 color with edges slightly brown.
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.

Recipe Notes

Keep stored in an airtight container.
Cookies freeze extremely well.

Ciambelle Cookies

December 22, 2015 by Marisa 35 Comments

Ciambelle cookies are Italian ring shaped cookies. These lemon scented dainty morsels are dipped in a lemon glaze and topped with sprinkles!

I hope you are all baking lots of yummy cookies and if you haven’t yet started, it’s still not too late.

These are actually my third batch of ciambelle cookies and each batch yields 6 dozen cookies. Yes, I know it’s a lot of cookies! But it’s simply not Christmas without these pillowy white cookies! Besides, I really do gift a lot of my baked goods….the ones that I can pry away from my hubby that is!

If you have been following my blog for a while now, you might remember that I have posted these cookies way back. It was just last Easter and I had adapted them to suit the holiday by tinting the icing with different pastel colours. You’ll find the link here, Ciambelle, Italian Ring Cookies.

They do merit a re-blog in my opinion because they are just too cute and quite delicious! And, I do believe my photography has gotten a tad better.

Most Italian families have their own version of this ever popular ring cookie. From sweet to savoury or the tender to crunchy variety. There is definitely one to please every palate.

These however are not overly sweet and have a lemon kick with a tender, crumbly bite.

Storing Ciambelle Cookies

Consequently if you’re into baking ahead for the holidays, you’ll be glad to know that these cookies freeze extremely well.

You can store them in an airtight container lined with wax paper in between the layers.

When your ready to serve, simply remove them from the freezer and line them out in a single layer onto a cookie sheet.

The glaze will have a shiny glossy and somewhat wet appearance as they thaw. Leave them to dry out on the cookie sheet and you’ll soon note them reverting back to its original appearance.

These ciambelle cookies have become part of my Christmas holiday baking every year and for other special occasions! They’re a joy to make and totally irresistible!

Bake them, plate them and watch them disappear!

Ciambelle

Soft Italian ring cookies scented with lemon and dunked in a lemon glaze.

Course Italian Cookies

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 dz

Author Marisa

Ingredients

Ingredients; Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Ingredients; Lemon Glaze
3 cups icing sugar
4 to 6 tbs fresh lemon juice
white nonpareils

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl , stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Pulse together the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor for about 2 minutes.
In a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the sugar-lemon zest mixture with the butter on medium speed until it turns pale and fluffy. For about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. If using a stand mixer, make sure to scrap down the bowl a couple of times. Beat in the vanilla and the lemon juice.
Reduce the speed to low and start adding the flour mixture a bit at a time until it is combined.
Using a small ice-cream scoop of about 1 1/4 inch in size, scoop out dough onto a lightly floured counter. If you don’t have an ice-cream scoop, a tablespoon will do.
Roll the dough into a rope, not more than 4 inches. You can roll them on your counter but I found it easier to roll between the palm of my hands, lightly dusted with flour. Bring the ends together, slightly overlapping and pressing to form a ring.
Transfer to your prepared cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining dough leaving about 1 inch space between each cookie. These cookies do not spread while baking but will expand somewhat.
Bake one pan at a time in a preheated oven at 350* for about 15 to 18 minutes. The cookies should have a pale golden look when done. Transfer cookies on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing.
For the glaze;
In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice till smooth. Dunk the top part of the cookie into the icing and let any excess drip off. Place the cookie on a wire rack and sprinkle with the nonpareils of your choice. Let the cookies dry completely. These cookies keep well in an airtight container lined with wax paper between each layer and stored in a cool dry place and freeze very well.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from the wonderful, Martha Stewart Website

Classic Pizzelle

August 19, 2015 by Marisa 28 Comments

Classic Pizzelle are wafer thin Italian cookies made in a waffle like iron press machine and one of Italy’s oldest cookies.

I was inspired to make these pizzelle after a visit to my dad’s one afternoon. One cannot visit dad without a tour of his lush garden. It is just streaming with fruits and vegetables as well as a selection of wonderful aromatic herbs. He has a hybrid pear tree that grows 3 different varieties. I don’t know how he does it.! His pride and joy are his four fig trees which will be producing over 100 figs come September. Nestled between his grape vines were these clusters of wild anise plants.

The anise plant has sweet licorice flavored kernels which can be added to a variety of baked goods and savory dishes. It is the source of flavor in the Italian liquor Anisette. It’s tear drop shaped fruits are called anise seeds. They are ready to harvest when ripened to a grey-brown color. Simply clip the entire head and leave it out to dry, on a clean dish towel, for 24 hours. Once dried, shake the plant in a brown paper bag to collect its seeds. The kernels will easily fall off and they are then ready to store in a tightly sealed jar.

You will need a pizzelle press machine to make these thin, light and crispy waffle-like Italian cookies. They are extremely popular during Christmas and Easter and for special family gatherings.They are wonderful on their own but can also be transformed into various shapes. Pizzelle, while still warm, can be rolled into cannoli shells and filled with sweetened ricotta. They can also be sandwiched together with ice-cream or turned into waffle cones and also into edible bowls with your favorite filling.

There are many different flavor combinations to choose from. They can be scented with vanilla, almond, anise extracts as well as lemon, and they can also be chocolate flavored. I have tried many different ones and I must say my absolute favorite is the anise pizzelle studded with the little anise seeds.

Let’s Get Started with the Classic Pizzelle

Ingredients:

1- 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

Preheat the Pizzelle Press while preparing the batter.

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 just until combined for another 15 seconds. Don’t over mix the batter.

Use a heat proof brush to grease the top and bottom grids of the pizzelle press with a flavorless vegetable oil or melted vegetable shortening. Do not use butter because it will burn. I used a cake release product from Wilton, it works wonders, and I only needed to grease the grids once.

Scoop out about 1- 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of pizzelle batter onto each cookie grid, centering the batter just a little behind the center of the patterned grid because when closing the lid, the batter gets pushed forward to the center yielding a more evenly rounded looking pizzelle. I used a 1 1/4 inch round cookie scoop. I found that dipping the scoop in a glass of water made it easier to release the dough onto the grid.

Close the lid and lock. My pizzelle press is a Cuisinart. I set it at number 4 and the pizzelle were ready in 60 seconds. If you have a different pizzelle press, follow the manufacturers instructions. If you prefer a lighter color, reduce the baking time and for a darker color add several more seconds.

When ready, use a heat proof spatula to remove the pizzelle and place on a cookie rack to cool. Don’t worry too much if it spreads out from the outer circle, you can simply round it off with a scissor.

Here I used a liquor glass to form an edible ice-cream bowl. Simply invert the pizzelle while still warm and pliable onto the glass and let cool. Tip: Lighter pizzelle are easier to mold or roll than a darker one.

Here the Classic Pizzelle are deliciously served with black cherry ice-cream to beat the summer heat!

Variation: For the Double Chocolate Pizzelle, as shown above, reduce the four to 1 -1/2 cups, add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Add 2 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate to the sugar, butter mixture. Omit the anise extract and anise seeds and add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.

Adapted from the Cuisinart

Ciambelle, Italian Ring Cookies

April 4, 2015 by Marisa 8 Comments

Ciambelle, Italian ring cookies with a distinctive round shape.

Many regions in Italy have their own version of this ever popular cookie. The savory ciambelle, made with red or white wine and oil, are much crunchier and suited to dunking in a glass of sweet wine. The sweeter version is often made with butter, scented with vanilla and has a tender bite.

Other baked goods shaped in a ring such as cakes or even doughnuts are also called ciambelle or ciambellone, referring to it’s much bigger form. I remember my mom baking the ciambellone (doughnut shaped ones). They were very similar to a panettone in texture. She would serve them to us with a big glass of milk…they were just begging to be dipped! When she was not looking I would dip them in her coffee. Hence, my love of coffee!!!

I found this ciambelle cookie recipe years ago on the Martha Stewart website. They looked just like my mom’s but smaller, so of coarse I just had to give them a try. Since then they have graced every holiday cookie tray. They are so adorably elegant making them perfect for weddings, baby showers or even baptisms.

These cookies are not difficult to make and the dough is very forgiving and easy to work with. You can dress them up to suit any holiday celebration simply by tinting the icing with your favorite food colors and sprinkles of your choice.

Yields 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients; Cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Ingredients; Lemon Glaze

3 cups icing sugar
4 to 6 tbs fresh lemon juice
nonpareils of your choice, for sprinkling
food coloring of you choice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl , stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Pulse together the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor for about 2 minutes.

In a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the sugar-lemon zest mixture with the butter on medium speed until it turns pale and fluffy. For about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. If using a stand mixer, make sure to scrap down the bowl a couple of times. Beat in the vanilla and the lemon juice.

Reduce the speed to low and start adding the flour mixture a bit at a time until it is combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop of about 1 1/4 inch in size, scoop out dough onto a lightly floured counter. If you don’t have an ice-cream scoop, a tablespoon will do. Roll the dough into a rope, not more than 4 inches. You can roll them on your counter but I found it easier to roll between the palm of my hands, lightly dusted with flour. Bring the ends together, slightly overlapping and pressing to form a ring.

Transfer to your prepared cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining dough leaving about 1 inch space between each cookie. These cookies do not spread while baking but will expand somewhat. Bake one pan at a time in a preheated oven at 350* for about 15 to 18 minutes. The cookies should have a pale golden look when done. Transfer cookies on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing.

For the glaze; In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice till smooth. Dunk the top part of the cookie into the icing and let any excess drip off. Place the cookie on a wire rack and sprinkle with the nonpareils of your choice. Let the cookies dry completely. These cookies keep well in an airtight container lined with wax paper between each layer and stored in a cool dry place and freeze very well.

Simply because it’s Easter, I separated the lemon glaze into 4 small bowls and stirred in 1 drop of yellow, red and green food coloring into each bowl. I kept the 4th bowl white. Gel food colors work best, they will not thin out the glaze.