Almond moon cookies
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!
Italian Butter Cookie
Ingredients
225g soft butter at room temperature - 135g cane sugar - 2 egg yolks - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 260g flour - 280g dark chocolate
1. Mix flour & salt. 2. Beat butter & sugar together in a food processor or electric hand mixer on medium speed until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla, then add egg yolks until just incorporated.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the dough in three increments until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing by stopping just when a few traces of dry ingredients remain, then incorporating the remains with a spatula. The dough should not form a ball, but should be sticky and have the consistency of very thick buttercream.
5. Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip. Arrange the desired cookie shapes on 3 parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 2cm between each cookie.
6. Freeze the cookies for at least 10 minutes up to 1 hour (this will help the cookies retain their shape during baking).
7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Bake cookies until lightly golden around the edges, between 8 and 13 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheet.
9. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, stirring occasionally. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Dip 1/3 of cookies in chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on waxed or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Enjoy!
Pistachio Biscotti
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!
Mastaccioli Style Gingerbread
Ingredients
350g flour - 7g baking powder - 5g bicarbonate of soda - 1g salt - 18g ground ginger - 6g cinnamon powder - 1/4 teaspoon clove powder - 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder - 112g soft butter at room temperature - 150g cane sugar semolina - 1 egg - 200g molasses - Candied cherries for decoration
1. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until well blended.
2. Beat butter and sugar together in a food processor or electric hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and molasses to the mixture until well blended.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients in 3 stages, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each mixing. The dough will be smooth and sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in cling film.
4. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 190°C
6. Divide the dough into pieces about the size of a two-euro coin. Roll into a log about 14cm long. Form an S shape and add half a cherry cut from each end.
7. Space the cookies 1cm apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool. Enjoy!
Little treats to gift
The Skin Heroes Set
Our set of bestsellers will delight all skin types. From the most demanding to the most sensitive. Designed as a complete ritual to meet essential moisturizing and nourishing needs, this set brings together 4 of our most popular products. Made from 100% compostable recycled cane pulp, it has been upcycled into an exquisite cake tin.