Sicilian Anise Lemon Taralli Recipe
These delectable Sicilian anise lemon taralli are crisp on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside, it's hard to stop at only one!
Servings 24 taralli
Calories 155kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ammonium carbonate may be replaced with baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tsp anise seed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced about 1 ½ tbsp.
- 3 tsp milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour; sugar; ammonium carbonate and salt.
- Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter. Stir in the lemon zest and anise seed.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until a raggedy dough is shaped.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 30 minutes.
Shape the taralli
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Keep remaining dough wrapped until you are ready to use it.
- Divide each piece of dough into roughly 6 -40 gram parts.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll each piece into a 30 cm long rope. Fold the rope, then twist 3 times.
- Pinch the ends together to form a ring and place on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Stir in milk 1 tsp at a time until you have the desired consistency. I used 3 tsp. milk.
- Dip the top of each taralli in the glaze, allowing the excess to drip away.
- Place on the wire rack to set. Once the glaze is hardened, they may be transferred to a well sealed container for storage.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
-Ammonium carbonate may be replaced with an equal amount of baking powder.
-The taralli may be prepared without the anise seed, if you prefer.
-For extra lemon flavor, add the juice of 1 lemon to the dough and reduce the amount of milk by 2 tbsp.
-For a festive look, add colored candy sprinkles on the glaze before it sets.
-This recipe was originally made with strutto or lard, instead of butter. Storage Keep the cookies in a well sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To Freeze Wrap cookies well in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature.
-For extra lemon flavor, add the juice of 1 lemon to the dough and reduce the amount of milk by 2 tbsp.
-For a festive look, add colored candy sprinkles on the glaze before it sets.
-This recipe was originally made with strutto or lard, instead of butter. Storage Keep the cookies in a well sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To Freeze Wrap cookies well in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg