I love Italian cookies, all kinds. I think it began when we
were in Italy during the summer of 2001. Pastry shops were as abundant as
the gelato stands, Pasticceria Marchini at Ponte S. Maurizio in Venice was the
most memorable. A convenient, delightful refuge, we bought a beautifully
wrapped bag of square, powdered-sugar-coated fruit jelly candies, a chocolate
dipped clementine (Sinful!), and a “cookie” that Jim could not resist that was
the size of a bagel. It turned out to be a wonderful almond pastry with a
ribbon of date filling running through. I moaned with pleasure when I bit
into it. The selection at this lovely shop was incredible and unlike anything
I’d ever seen. Every available space was covered with one kind of
confection or other. I was particularly taken with the chocolates molded
to look like carnival masks. It was at this precise moment that I vowed to
learn to make Italian cookies as soon as we returned home.
I've been collecting recipes
ever since. Each time I try one I think of that pastry shop in
Venice. This recipe is a favorite of mine, not just for its taste and
appearance, but also for the ease of preparation.
Italian Raspberry Sandwich Cookies
½ lb. unsalted butter
3¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
Pinch of salt
1/8 t. baking powder
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
½ c. milk
¾ c. raspberry preserves
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Set aside. In an
electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking
powder, and salt. Mix at low speed until ingredients are well blended.
With the mixer running at low, add the melted butter gradually, and continue
beating for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, until all the ingredients are combined;
beat for 1 minute. Add milk and continue beating at a higher speed until the
dough is smooth and pliable.
Fit a pastry
bag with a 1/2-inch
diameter open-star tip and fill two-thirds full with dough. Pipe onto
parchment paper, creating logs approximately 3” x 1½”.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove to wire racks to
cool.
When the cookies are cool enough to handle, spread each one with a thin layer of raspberry preserves. Press together two cookies, creating a sandwich. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
