cookies

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies

October 19, 2018 by Marisa 18 Comments

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies are traditional ring shaped tiny cookies. They’re somewhat rustic in appearance and studded with wine-soaked anise seeds. A subtle lemon scent permeates throughout this easy to make cookie.

If your new to this type of Italian cookie you’ll be glad to know that its really quite simple to make. Also, with just a few simple ingredients which you mostly likely already have on hand.

Its also a dairy free cookie which makes a wonderful option for those following a special diet.

These Italian wine cookies are customarily served as an after dinner treat alongside a glass of wine for dipping the cookies into. But they’re also quite wonderful served with any type of liquor that compliments the scent of the anise seeds. Such as Sambuca or even Ouzo if your so inclined. Hubby loves to dip his in grappa.

Shaping the Ciambelline al Vino, Italian Wine Cookies

This my friends is where the fun begins. You’ll so love the aroma while shaping these morsels.

Start off by cutting pieces of dough approximately the size of a walnut in its shell.

You won’t need extra flour for rolling. It actually impedes the process.

Roll out to an 8 inch long rope and pencil thin. At this point you can cut the 8 inch rope in half and simply shape into a ring. Much like these Ciambelle Cookies.

However, if you’re feeling adventurous you’ll want to follow the steps below after rolling it into an 8 inch long rope.

Bend the rope so that it rests parallel and start twisting the 2 strands while interloping them together.

Join the 2 ends together and pinch to secure the round cookies.

You’ll want to repeat this step with the remaining dough before dipping in the sugar.

You’re now ready to dip these pretty shaped cookies into the sugar. Turn them all over to coat while gently pressing them into the sugar.

They don’t take long to bake. In fact 15 minutes is all it took in my conventional mode oven. You’ll know they’re ready when they turn a soft golden hue. And. Oh my goodness. Those wonderful aromas!

They’re tender and crumbly, not overly sweet and extremely addictive! I dare you to eat just one!

Happy baking dear friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies are ring shaped cookies. These rustic cookies studded with wine-soaked anise seeds make wonderfully delicious dunkers.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Resting time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon anise seeds
3 fluid ounces white wine I used hubby's homemade wine
3 fluid ounces extra virgin olive oil
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar plus extra for dipping the cookies into
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

Place the anise seeds and the white wine in a small bowl and allow to soak for one hour.
Strain the anise seeds and reserve the white wine in the small bowl.
Add in the extra virgin olive oil to the reserved white wine and whisk the 2 liquids well then set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and the strained anise seeds until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil and wine mixture.
Use a wooden spoon to work in as much of the flour as you can with the liquids until you get a soft dough.
Transfer the dough with any bits of flour remaining in the bowl to a work surface and knead the dough until it all comes together in a ball, for about 2 or 3 minutes.
Cover the dough with cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
When ready to shape the the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper and set aside.
To shape the cookies cut, off a piece of dough approximately the size of a walnut in its shell and roll it out to about 8 inches long and a 1/4 in diameter.
Bend in half while keeping it parallel and twist in a rope by overlapping the cookie dough strands. (as seen in photo)
Once roped together shape in a circle by bringing the ends together and pinch to secure and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place about 2/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Dip the cookies one at a time in the sugar, turning to coat all over and return them to the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake in preheated oven for about 15 to 18 minutes.
When ready they'll be pale golden in colour and firm to touch.
Cool completely.
Serve as an after dinner treat for dipping in wine or your favourite hot beverage.

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

September 7, 2018 by Marisa 11 Comments

Wonderfully delicious, lemon scented Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti. A twice baked biscotti with a scattering of roasted salted pistachios are complimented with slivers of wild cherries bottled in syrup.

A little About Amarena Cherries

This is not a sponsored post but rather a product I enjoy very much!

For a truly memorable Italian experience, do try at least once the authentic Italian amarena cherry.

They are small, dark wild cherries which grow in the Bologna and Modena regions of Italy. Although somewhat bitter they have an incredibly deep cherry flavour.

These luscious cherries are bottled in syrup, masking their bitterness and making them perfect for home baking. They’re also equally wonderful for decorating desserts or garnishing drinks.

But really you can just as easily nibble on them whenever a craving hits for these bitter sweet jewels.

You can purchase these syrup soaked cherries at most Italian specialty shops or simply online.

Back To The Recipe

I fell in love with these cherries at first taste and I absolutely had too bake a batch of biscotti! They’re my go to treat whenever I’m craving a quick nibble to serve with coffee or tea.

As a switch up from the more standard almond and orange biscotti I usually bake, I chose pistachios to compliment the cherries. I also added the zest of a lemon to infuse a lovely citrus scent to the biscotti dough.

I baked the logs for 25 minutes, just until they are golden brown with a soft but firm touch.

After the initial first bake you’ll want them to cool for about 10 minutes. This will make slicing much easier and then you simply re-bake for an additional 15 minutes to allow them to crisp up.

They come out of the oven with a dark golden hue. They’re so irresistible that you’ll be biting into them before they even cool off!

You’ll find that they’re perfectly dunkable in your favourite hot beverage! They’re also quite tooth friendly and easily enjoyable simply as they are!

Enjoy the biscotti and happy baking my friends!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

Lemon scented, twice baked Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti studded with roasted salted pistachios are perfect for dunking in coffee or tea.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti

Servings 30 Biscotti

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped I used roasted and salted pistachios
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup butter melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
lemon zest from 1 small lemon
3/4 cup amarena wild cherries drained and chopped
1 beaten egg white for brushing over biscotti

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the flour, baking powder and pistachios in a large bowl and stir to combine.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Fold in the chopped Amarena cherries.
Divide the biscotti dough in half.
Dust your hands and work surface with flour and roll 1 portion at a time into a 12 inch log.
Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the biscotti logs with the beaten egg white.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the biscotti logs, one at a time, to a cutting board and slice diagonally to about 3/4 inch pieces.
Repeat with the remaining log.
Return the sliced biscotti to the baking sheet, stand them upright and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the biscotti from the oven, allow to cool and enjoy with your favourite hot beverage.

Lemon Cornmeal S Cookies

March 30, 2018 by Marisa 25 Comments

These Lemon Cornmeal S cookies are really quite tender with a lovely gritty texture from the addition of yellow corn meal and carry an unmistakable lemon scent. They’re deliciously simple to make and with staple ingredients you most likely already have on hand.

My love for any type of cookie is well documented in previous recipe posts. So much so that I rarely ever have store bought cookies around unless they’re Italian S shaped cookies which I usually buy from Italian specialty shops.

Both my children have fond memories of dipping their hands into their favorite cookie jar brimming with store bought S shaped cookies, but I must say that we adults enjoyed them as much as they if not more!

Recently, my daughter suggested I try making some homemade S cookies from scratch and this had me wondering why I hadn’t thought of it before. I knew at that moment that I needed a homemade version in my life, ASAP!

I aimed for a cookie with texture and knew cornmeal would work wonderfully and lend a pleasant gritty feel. But I also wanted them to be rich in taste and so I played around with egg ratios till my family members gave them a thumbs up.

Aside from being pleasantly gritty in texture they’re also extremely airy and make a lovely alternative to a much sweeter cookie and simply beg to be dipped in a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

In fact these not too sweet cookies are perfect after an overindulgent meal and equally great as an anytime snack

Whisking vs Sifting:

Another area I experimented with was in baking a batch using whisked dry ingredients and another with dry sifted ingredients. I must say there was a remarkable difference in the two methods and both with wonderful results.

In whisking the dry ingredients together I achieved a soft workable dough and I needed a minimal amount of flour on my hands to shape the cookies. They baked to a lovely golden color and retained their S shape. In texture they were both airy and dry but still tender, with similar characteristics of the store bought variety but much tastier in my opinion.

While sifting the dry ingredients in my next batch, this yielded a notable difference. Sifting aerated the dough which necessitated in an extra 1/2 cup of flour to be workable in shaping the S cookies. The other is that the cookies spread out ever so slightly and were much softer, airier and lighter in texture.

Again both equally delicious and something to keep in mind when trying the recipe for yourselves!

While we enjoyed both variations of these adorable Lemon Cornmeal S Cookies, I love them sprinkled with turbinado sugar. My daughter less so! A great compromise would be to bake half the batch of S cookies without the sprinkle of sugar. It’s a win win in my opinion!

In lieu of the Easter holiday, I dipped some in a lemon glaze and topped them with sprinkles. If you plan to do the same, simply omit brushing the cookies with the egg wash and also omit the turbinado sugar.

Hopefully your cookie jar is brimming with your own favorite goodies this long Easter weekend!

Buona Pasqua a tutti…Happy Easter everyone!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Lemon Cornmeal S Cookies

These Lemon Cornmeal S cookies are really quite tender with a lovely gritty texture from the addition of yellow corn meal and carry a subtle lemon scent, enough to perk up your taste buds.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 dozen

Author Marisa

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup yellow corn meal fine grind
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
lemon zest from 2 lemons
2 large eggs plus 4 egg yolks reserve the remaining egg whites for brushing over the cookies before baking
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
turbinado sugar to sprinkle over the cookies optional

Instructions

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you prepare the cookie dough.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt then set aside.
Place the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse together for about 20 seconds to make a quick lemon sugar, then set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat together the 2 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks, and lemon sugar on medium high speed for 5 minutes till thickened.
Mix in the melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract until combined.
Stir in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
The dough will be soft but manageable to work with.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you start rolling and shaping the S cookies.
Scoop out a large ball of cookie dough using an ice-cream scoop.
Dust hands with a bit of flour and roll out to form a 12 inch long rope about a 1/2 inch in diameter.
Cut the rope into 3 equal pieces of 4 inches each.
Transfer each piece one at a time to the prepared cookie sheet and bend into an S shape while spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
Beat the reserved egg whites and brush lightly over the S shaped cookies.
Sprinkle the cookies with the turbinado sugar and bake for about 13 to 15 minutes.
When done the cookies should have a lovely golden color.
Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
Allow to cool and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

Recipe Notes

If planning to dip some of the cookies in a lemon glaze, OMIT brushing the S cookies with beaten egg whites and the turbinado sugar, then bake as directed. Once cooled dip them in a lemon glaze to a ratio of 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, approximately, depending on how thick you want the lemon glaze. Top with sprinkles of your choice before icing sets.

Italian Bocconotti Cookies

March 2, 2018 by Marisa 26 Comments

These Italian Bocconotti Cookies are seductive little morsels with their scalloped buttery shells and a lovely fig jam cocooned within. All that’s needed is a light dusting of powdered sugar before serving and then simply relax in your comfy chair with a hot cup of tea while nibbling on these dainty treats.

There are so many variations of these cute bocconotti cookies, which easily translates to “small bites” and aptly named I might add for these two bite morsels.

They’re more commonly served during Christmas with a chocolate and nut filling, much like the bocconotti abruzzesi or even the bocconotti calabresi from southern Italy.

However in my opinion when a cookie is as seductive in appearance and taste as these jam filled pastries, well any day of the year is a good day to bake them! As I’m sure you’ll all agree when you try them out for yourselves!

One question that I get asked often when posting a new recipe is, “but is it easy to make”?

My answer is always “yes”! And yes I see some eyes rolling right now so roll them back!

If you’ve never worked with a pastry dough before, you’ll be happy to know that your food processor will be doing most of the work here.

Then there’s a gentle kneading of the dough by hand so that it all comes together in a cohesive ball.

Once the dough has been chilled and your ready to assemble the bocconotti cookies…the fun begins!

With a little background music softly playing and your work station prepped…

Set an hour of your time to shape out and assemble the bocconotti.

Although I used a fig jam you can just as easily replace it with any flavor you prefer and even Nutella would be a wonderful choice!

Once all assembled and ready for the oven, in they go for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a beautiful golden brown!

You’ll have the most enticing aromas wafting thorough your kitchen and beckoning family members in.

Then a simple light…or generous dusting of powdered sugar to finish them off and enjoy!

Show your family or friends some love this weekend with these easy to make Italian Bocconotti Cookies!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Italian Bocconotti Cookies

These Italian Bocconotti Cookies are seductive little morsels with their scalloped buttery shells and a lovely fig jam cocooned within.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 24

Author Marisa

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTRY
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup chilled butter cubed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Icing sugar powdered sugar for dusting.
24 mini tart tins or mini muffin tins 2 inches in diameter
FOR THE FILLING
3/4 cup fig jam approximately

Instructions

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to combine the ingredients.
Add the chilled cubed butter and pulse the mixture together, just until you achieve coarse crumbs.
Whisk together the egg with the grated orange zest in a small bowl and add this egg mixture to the food processor.
Blend in the food processor until half of the dough mixture has come together then transfer to a work surface and keep kneading gently by hand until the dough has formed a ball.
Wrap the pastry dough in cling wrap and chill for 1 hour.
When ready to assemble the pastries, grease well 24 mini tart molds or use mini muffin pans.
Break off a tablespoon of dough and form into a ball then take the ball of dough and press it into the mini tart mold and up against the edges.
Trim off any excess with your fingers or the dull side of a knife. (I find fingers work best)
Repeat with the remaining molds.
Fill each tartlet with about a teaspoon of jam.
Take another tablespoon of dough, form into a ball and with the palm of your hands press it between two sheets of cling wrap.
Place the flattened disks over the jam filled tartlets and press the dough around the edges of the mini molds to seal and then cut off any excess dough.
The excess dough can be reused to form more tops if needed.
Place the mini tartlets on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a lovely golden brown.
Allow the bocconotti to cool before dusting with icing sugar.
Brew a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

November 13, 2017 by Marisa 28 Comments

Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies made with a quick lemon infused sugar and dipped in a lemon glaze for a delightful all around citrus scent. They’re all dressed up in gold nonpareils and ready to grace any holiday cookie platter with some merry cheer!

While some people are dreaming of a white Christmas or even getting an early start to a flurry of holiday shopping, I’m living and breathing cookies in all shapes and forms. Shopping is pushed to the sidelines in anticipation of the glorious sweet treats begging to come to light.

What better way to ease into holiday baking then with these adorable Lemon Ricotta Cookies! They’re extremely popular in Italian households especially around the holidays with each family having their own unique way of decorating these citrusy morsels.

These cookies are extremely soft to the bite. They also have a very cake like texture which are sure to appeal to all you die hard cookie fans!

They’re inspired by Canadian Living Magazine’s ricotta cookie from their latest holiday issue. I’ve made a few switch ups which will definitely appeal to all lemon lovers.

To achieve an all around citrus taste in the cookie dough, I added lemon zest and made a quick lemon sugar by pulsing together the lemon zest with the granulated sugar in my mini food processor. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor simply beat the butter, sugar and zest all together.

I omitted the baking soda altogether and increased the baking powder from 1/4 teaspoon to a full teaspoon as this yielded a plumper cookie which did not spread out overly much. They resembled these perfect little round soft and fluffy pillows.

Also for uniformly round cookies I used a 1 1/2 inch round cookie scoop but you can just as easily measure the dough out with a rounded tablespoon.

I opted out of the cream cheese icing and decided to make a luscious lemon glaze.

“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand” Barbara Johnson

You can also customize the thickness of the lemon glaze to your taste. Adding less lemon juice to the icing sugar will result in a thicker glaze. Or, if you prefer a thinner glaze try adding a little more lemon juice.

Do keep in mind though that these cookies absorb quite a bit of the glaze, especially a day after. So if you want that white glaze appearance make sure the icing is not overly thin.

I had full intentions to test out whether these ricotta cookies would freeze well and therefor make a great bake ahead dessert. However, they lasted 1 full day in my freezer because greedy hands quickly devoured the cookies! They’re that delicious!

But don’t take my word for it! Bake them yourselves and tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These classic Italian Ricotta Cookies are extremely soft and cake-like in texture, are dipped in a lemon glaze and topped with golden non-pareils.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 3 dozen

Author Marisa

Ingredients

COOKIES
1 cup granulated sugar
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 large egg
8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
sprinkles or nonpareils for decorating
LEMON GLAZE
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
zest from 1 lemon
4 to 5 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 cookies sheets with parchment paper as this will make for easy release of the cookies and set aside.
Pulse the granulated sugar with the lemon zest in a food processor for about 1 minute so as to infuse the sugar with the lemon scent.
Place the lemon sugar and the softened butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy.
Beat in the egg, ricotta cheese and the vanilla until well combined.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and stir this into the ricotta mixture.
Using a small cookie scoop of about 1 1/2 inch in size, scoop out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart so that they have room to expand. Or simply measure out a heaping tablespoon if you don't have a cookie scoop.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes or until the bottoms are golden in color.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and in the meantime prepare the lemon glaze.
FOR THE LEMON GLAZE
Place the icing sugar and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl and whisk in the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, until a desired consistency is achieved.
Dunk the top of the ricotta cookies into the lemon glaze and place on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch any drippings.
Sprinkle with nonpareils of your choice and then allow the lemon glaze to set before serving.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by Canadian living Magazine and tweaked with a few switch ups for personal taste.

cookies

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies

Shaping the Ciambelline al Vino, Italian Wine Cookies

Ciambelline al Vino Italian Wine Cookies

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Instructions

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Italian Bocconotti Cookies

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A little About Amarena Cherries

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Lemon Cornmeal S Cookies

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