Italian Grandma cookies by chef Kaitlyn Reinhart

Ingredients

Pastry: 200g cold soft butter - 250g flour - 100g almond powder - 2 egg yolks - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 70g powdered sugar - 1 pinch salt For the sugar coating: 100g powdered sugar - 16g vanilla NB: All pastry ingredients must be very cold.

1. Cut the butter into 1cm cubes, then set aside in the freezer to keep cold. Weigh the flour and set aside in the freezer or refrigerator. The colder the ingredients, the better.

2. Use a pastry cutter or rub the cold butter cubes and flour between your fingers until coarsely blended.

3. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the vanilla until well blended. Add the salt, almond powder and sugar to the butter and flour mixture. Add the egg yolks and stir until the ingredients form a paste.

4. Knead the dough with your hands until well combined, about 30 seconds. Cut the dough into quarters, keep one on the work surface and reserve the rest in the fridge.

5. Divide the dough into egg-sized pieces and roll each one out with your hand into strands about 1cm in diameter. Cut the strands into 5cm-long pieces. Use your hands to spread each piece over a length of about 7cm and form moons. Make the ends slightly thinner, but not too thin, as they will brown first.

6. Arrange the moons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 1cm apart. Bake the cookies on the middle rack in a preheated oven at 180°C for 8 to 13 minutes, or until lightly colored.

7. Mix powdered sugar and vanilla until well blended. Transfer mixture to a plate.

8. When finished, remove the moons from the oven. Let them cool for 1 minute, then place a few s cookies in the prepared sugar-vanilla mixture, roll them until they are covered in sugar and transfer them to a plate.

9. Continue in this way for the rest of the dough. Enjoy!

Ingredients

113g soft butter at room temperature - 150g cane sugar - 2 eggs - Zest of one lemon - 6g almond extract - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 4g salt - 250g flour - 7g baking powder - 70g whole pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Beat the butter and sugars together in a food processor or electric hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Stir in lemon zest, almond and vanilla extracts.

3. In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add the mixture at low speed as the dough comes together, add the pistachios and mix until incorporated. The result will be a soft, sticky dough.

4. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using wet hands, shape into a log measuring approximately 35cm by 12cm.

5. Bake the logs for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Remove and cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. (Don't rush this step, or you risk crumbling them as you cut). Using a bread knife, carefully slice crosswise. 1cm slices are easier to cut!

6. Place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and return to the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Turn each slice over and bake again for a further 5 minutes. Cool completely until crisp and dry. Enjoy!