Festive Treat Italian Cookie Recipes For Christmas
Every Christmas season, this traditional Italian biscuit always adds a sweet atmosphere to the festival. The sweetness of whipped butter and the embellishment of two-color dough make this classic Italian pastry the most popular Christmas delicacy on the table.
Why I like these biscuits
This Italian Christmas biscuit is a pastry that I must make every Christmas. The ratio of butter to cornstarch makes the biscuit taste particularly good, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The addition of cooked egg yolks makes the biscuit even more fragrant.
This recipe is very friendly to beginners, and the materials are all commonly available at home. The dough is not too difficult to knead, and the quantity is just right for the whole family to share. The design of two colors, red and green, combined with white chocolate and sugar beads makes it very festive when made and is also very suitable for giving to friends.
Every Christmas season, I will make these biscuits with my children. Watching them knead the dough seriously and decorate with sugar beads, and smelling the fragrance coming from the oven, these have become the most precious Christmas memories of our family.
Required raw materials and substitutes
Main ingredients
Butter: Gives biscuits a rich milky fragrance and creates a delicate and soft texture. It is indispensable.
Cooked egg yolk: Incorporates a unique egg fragrance into biscuits, making their taste richer and more mellow.
Low-gluten flour: Constructs the main body of biscuits and can present a crispy and soft texture after baking.
Cornstarch: Helps reduce the gluten content of flour and helps biscuits achieve an instant melting effect.
Accessories
Matcha powder: Can make biscuits have a fresh and natural green color and add unique matcha flavor.
Red pigment: Used to create a striking and bright red color and greatly enhance the appearance of biscuits.
White chocolate liquid: While decorating biscuits, it gives them a rich and sweet chocolate charm.
Sugar beads: Ingeniously dotted on the surface of biscuits, adding a festive and joyful atmosphere and sweet taste.
Seasonings
Icing sugar: Makes the sweetness of biscuits just right. The fine texture is conducive to whipping and mixing.
Salt: Although the amount used is very small, it can cleverly balance the sweetness and avoid a feeling of being too sweet.
Substitutes
Butter: Can be replaced by vegetable butter or cream cheese. Vegetable butter has different taste and nutrition. Cream cheese has a cheese flavor.
Cooked egg yolk: Egg yolk powder can simulate some flavors when prepared in proportion. Fried egg yolk liquid is also fine. Pay attention to controlling humidity.
Low-gluten flour: Medium-gluten flour and cornstarch can be used in a mixture of 4:1. Stir carefully to prevent gluten formation.
Cornstarch: Potato starch can be used as an emergency substitute, but the water absorption and final taste will change.
Matcha powder: When there is no matcha powder, spinach juice can be used for coloring but has a raw vegetable taste. Green pigment lacks tea fragrance.
Red pigment: Beetroot juice is natural but the color effect is slightly inferior. When using red fruit and vegetable powder as a substitute, the dosage should be accurate.
White chocolate liquid: Black chocolate liquid and milk chocolate liquid can be replaced, but the flavor and color will change accordingly.
Sugar beads: Colored coconut flakes, chopped raisins and other dried fruits can be substituted. The appearance and taste are different and wonderful.
Icing sugar: Soft white sugar is fine and easy to dissolve. Granulated sugar takes a little more effort to whip. Adjust the sweetness as needed.
Required tools
Electric mixer: Used to whip butter and icing sugar. Manual whipping is also possible, but it will be a little more laborious.
Dough scraper: Helps to mix noodles and collect dough. A silicone spatula at home can also be used as a substitute.
Sieve: Used to sift flour and egg yolks. An ordinary flour sieve is fine.
Baking tray: It is best to be non-stick. The baking tray usually used for baking bread at home is fine.
Piping bag: Used to squeeze white chocolate. If there is none, a fresh-keeping bag can be cut with a small opening as a substitute.
Oven: A household oven can meet the requirements. Remember to preheat in advance.
Why use icing sugar instead of granulated sugar
Whipping effect: Icing sugar has fine particles and can be incorporated into whipped butter more quickly and evenly, helping to fully whip and making the biscuit texture more dense. Granulated sugar has larger particles and is not easy to completely dissolve, which can easily affect the texture of biscuits.
Taste performance: Icing sugar will not leave a grainy feeling after baking, and biscuits taste smoother. If granulated sugar is used, even if fully whipped, there may be a slight roughness.
Degree of dissolution: In this recipe, the butter content is relatively high and the moisture content is low. Granulated sugar is difficult to completely dissolve and may form small sugar particles on the surface of biscuits. However, icing sugar will not have this problem and can ensure the unity of the appearance and taste of biscuits.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·100g butter
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·2 cooked egg yolks
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·100g low-gluten flour
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·80g cornstarch
Accessories
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·7g matcha powder
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·2 drops red pigment
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·40g white chocolate liquid
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·10g sugar beads
Seasonings
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·60g icing sugar
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·1g salt
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Take 100g of butter and add 60g of icing sugar. Use an electric mixer to whip it until the color becomes lighter. Let air fully blend in to increase the fluffiness of biscuits.
Step 2
Sieve 2 cooked egg yolks and add them to the whipped butter. Use tools such as a spatula to mix well to evenly distribute the egg yolks in the butter and further enrich the flavor.
Step 3
Mix 100g of low-gluten flour, 80g of cornstarch and 1g of salt, sift them, and add them to the above mixture. Then use a spatula to stir evenly. Then knead to form a dough. Be careful not to over-knead to avoid gluten formation in the dough.
Step 4
Divide the dough into two equal parts. Add 7g of matcha powder to one part and 2 drops of red pigment to the other part. Knead separately to make the dough show two colors of green and red for making biscuits of different colors later.
Step 5
Divide the colored dough into small doughs of about 10g each. Then roll them into balls and place them on the baking tray in turn. Then gently press with your thumb to make depressions in the middle of the biscuits to prepare for decoration.
Step 6
Squeeze an appropriate amount of white chocolate liquid into the depressions of the biscuits for decoration to make the biscuits look more beautiful and at the same time add chocolate flavor.
Step 7
Finally, sprinkle some sugar beads on the biscuits. Put the baking tray into an oven preheated to 170 degrees and bake for 18 minutes. The biscuits are then made.
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Consumption suggestions
Matching recommendations: It is most suitable to be paired with American coffee or black tea. The sweetness of biscuits can neutralize the bitterness of coffee. Hot milk is also a good choice, especially suitable for children as breakfast or after-school snacks.
Consumption time: It is recommended to be enjoyed at breakfast or afternoon tea. The biscuits have moderate sweetness. Pairing with hot drinks can fully enjoy the taste buds. It is also very suitable as a dessert after a meal.
Consumption temperature: The biscuits taste best when completely cooled. At this time, the crispness is just right. It is not recommended to eat them while they are still hot because the freshly baked biscuits are not yet fully set.
How to store
Choose a glass jar or iron box for storage. Lay a piece of oil-absorbing paper at the bottom of the box. When placing in layers, put paper on each layer. Place it in a cool and dry place, avoid direct sunlight, and do not put it in the refrigerator. Sealed, it can be stored for 7-10 days. Consume within 5 days after opening.
The reason for such storage is that biscuits are prone to moisture. The sealing of glass jars and iron boxes is better than that of plastic boxes, which can better isolate air and moisture. Oil-absorbing paper can absorb excess oil, prevent biscuits from sticking together, and keep the shape intact.
FAQs:
Set the preheating temperature at 170 degrees. It takes 10-15 minutes. When the oven indicator light goes out, it means the temperature has reached the standard. Insufficient preheating will cause uneven heating of biscuits, affecting the taste and appearance.
At the same time as preheating, the final preparation work of the dough can be completed, such as arranging the baking tray and laying oiled paper. In this way, when the dough is ready, it can be directly put into the oven that has reached the ideal temperature to ensure the baking effect.
The outer layer should form a golden crispy crust. When gently pressed, there are some cracks but it will not completely break. When taking a bite, one can feel a distinct crispiness but it will not be too hard. The inside should remain dense and soft, with obvious butter and egg aromas.
The prepared dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours in advance. Take it out and let it return to room temperature 1 hour in advance before using. Start shaping after the dough becomes soft to ensure regular shapes of biscuits.
It is not recommended to make it too far in advance or store it frozen, because the leavening agent in the dough will lose its effectiveness, which will affect the taste and appearance of biscuits. In addition, after the dough returns to room temperature, it should be used as soon as possible. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours to avoid excessive softening of butter and deformation of biscuit shapes.
If the dough always breaks, it means the dough is too dry or too cold. You can add 1-2 drops of clear water or egg liquid and knead it gently to make the dough more resilient. For dough that has not been warmed enough, wait a little longer and operate after the dough becomes soft.
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