Aren't those cookies gorgeous? How innocent those diamons are?! Close your eyes and try them: do you taste a little Venice in each bite? Lemon zest and cranberry, combined in this recipe with a little polenta, invite you to experience a new taste: fragrant and romantic. I fell in love with this cookies from the recipe in the book, as soon as I read through the ingredients list. One hour later I had a plate of an incredibly delicious gems.
Zaletti
(recipe adapted from the book Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma)
Ingredients (I made a few substitutions, which are marked in red):
1 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour
¾ cup dried currants
¼ cup boiling water
3 T.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 oz. (1 stick) sweet, unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
1. Start by pouring 3 tablespoon of brandy over the dried currants. Add boiling water, set aside.
2. In a bowl combine together all dry ingredients (flour, polents, sugar, baking powder, and salt).
3. In another bowl combine "wet" ingredients: lightly bitten egg and eggyolk, butter and lemon zest.
4. Stirr "wet" ingredients into the dry, add currants and form the dough. Don't overwork the dough!
5. Chill the dough in refrigerator for one hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
7. Form the dimond shaped cookie and place on cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are colden brown.
9. Let cookies to cool for 5 minutes.
10. It's time to make some coffee or tea, and enjoy!
It says that cookies can be stored in the air tight container for up to three days. Ahm, in this family they didn't last even three hours...
My verdict: belissimo! (which in Italian means lovely).
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| Cat's verdict... :) |
Chao,
Marina
The cookies look yummy. Very unusual plates. I like :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like kitty got one.
Thanks Sheila. Cookies smell so good that it was impossible to pass by without taking one. By reducing sugar I made it a little more healthier, if you can say it about the cookies... :) Making another batch, want to twist a little recipe. :)
Deletei think, lemon in desserts is my favorite flavor!!
ReplyDeleteI am with you Lynn. I am trying to grow my own lemons and limes (oh, those smell just amazing, I come every morning to the pot with lemon tree and inhale the fragrant lemony air). My hope is one day to make this cookies of home grown lemons... :) Thanks you for your comment!
Deletepretty & LOVE that plate!
ReplyDeleteThanks Averie! I love the color of those plates too... :)
Deletehello! tahnk you for your visit! nice cat :P....and good cookies! have a nice evening!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ophelia!
DeleteI love anything that makes me think of Italy. And I LOVE that plate! It would be perfect here in Florida...with my beachy style! Enjoy your week! Try to stay cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane! When I first looked at those plates, it didn't catch me. I liked the shells and everything on it, but the color I thought was a bit dark. But when I took the photo, it just played with all marine colors... Now all I need is a waterfront house.... :)
DeleteMarina, I am sooo baking these cookies. They must be awesome :-)
ReplyDeleteThey are very good, lemon and cranberries... mmm, perfect combination! :) Thanks for your comment Joanna!
DeleteYum, love the way these look, just give me a few with a glass of cold milk and I'll be in sweet heaven!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! Milk, tea, juice: those cookies are good with anything! :) Thanks for visiting me here, Chris! :)
DeletePolenta cookies, eh? I never really tried polenta in any other way than just formed into blocks and fried lightly so it's wonderful to see another method of using it. They look very tasty - love the little lemon twist on the side :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Charles. I am glad you visited me here. I love polenta, and lately tried it as breakfast too, was very good I shell say (you can check it here http://www.picnicatmarina.com/2012/06/breakfast-polenta-with-peaches.html). Next week I'll be making another meal with polenta, and I hope it works. :)
DeleteCookies are awesome, but CAT is the best :)
ReplyDeleteI can't argue that, can I?! :)
DeleteLOL at your kitty! Great shot! I'm so glad to see you baking, Marina :) These cookies look amazing...I think you're a natural!
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks Lizzy! You are so sweet... I use to bake when I just got married and really wanted to impress my husband. I made several rather complicated cakes, but that was all. Then kids came along and life shifted in another direction, away from baking. For some reason I always thought that baking takes so much time, and I never had enough of it (time). :)
DeleteThose do look so good! I think they would be perfect with coffee or tea :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, oh yes, they there good with tea, sigh... Next time I am making a double batch... :)
DeleteI love your blue plates! I am a cat person also-))) I have Kosha at home, she is 17 years old. Your cookies looks amazing-))
ReplyDeleteThank you! When I saw those plates, my first thought was: my blog needs those plates! :) Your cat has a very cute name... Say Hi to Kosha! :) This cat's name is ... Grisha! :) He is a royal cat, and I love him so much that I need to go visit him once a week (it is my friend Lisa's cat). He really likes to pose before my camera, and I have about thousand of photos with him... :)
Delete"It says that cookies can be stored in the air tight container for up to three days. Ahm, in this family they didn't last even three hours... "
ReplyDelete;-) Reminds me of once when my wife at I were at a very nice fudge shop buying, well, fudge. And one of us asked what the shelf life was. I forget the answer - a few days. Turned out that wasn't a question we needed to have asked! Sometimes we forget what porkers we can be. Anyway, good recipe - looks wonderful.
I know, isn't it funny?! Because I cut sugar in this cookies, they were not too sweet, we really liked it. Next time I am making a double batch. :) Thanks for your comment! :)
DeleteThese cookies looks perfect. Love when there is some polenta in sweets, love the texture. Have you gave a cookie to your cat????
ReplyDeleteI love polenta in sweets too, that's why when I saw this recipe I decided to try it. No, I didn't give any cookies to the cat, but he knew it was good anyway... :)Thanks for your comments, Kim! :)
DeleteLovely recipe - I love baking with polenta, it gives such a different texture and crunch.
ReplyDeleteI love baking with polenta too, I just simply love polenta! :)
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