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genovesi ericine cookies on lace doily next to coffee cup and spoon
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Genovesi Ericine - Sicilian Pastry Recipe

Genovesi Ericine are pastries made famous by Maria Grammitico's pasticceria located in the hilltop town of Erice in Sicily. Buttery shortcrust pastry filled with lemon scented pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar. A scrumptious treat to enjoy with coffee or cappuccino!
Course Italian desserts
Cuisine Sicilian-Italian
Keyword Genovesi pastry, shortbread cookies filled with lemony pastry cream
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 147kcal

Equipment

  • 3-inch cookie cutter

Ingredients

For the pastry cream

  • 2 cups milk
  • strip of lemon peel
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 6 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 8 tbsp. all-purpose flour

For the pastry

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour sifted

For dusting

  • powdered sugar

Instructions

Prepare the pastry cream (crema pasticcera)

  • In a small sauce pan, heat milk and a strip of lemon peel. Do not bring to a boil. Set aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add flour and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour half the warm milk into the egg mixture and whisk together. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining milk.
  • Place back on the burner over medium-high heat and whisk continuously until it comes to a gentle boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Immediately take it off the heat to avoid scorching the milk.
  • Force the mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to remove any lumps. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to avoid forming a skin while it cools.
  • Refrigerate until completely cooled while you prepare the pastry.

Prepare the pastry

  • To the bowl of your food processor add cubed butter and sugar. Blend until smooth.
  • Add an egg; vanilla extract; baking powder and a pinch of salt. Process until fully incorporated.
  • Add sifted flour in 2 batches and process until a dough is formed and wraps itself around the blade. 
  • Shape into a flat disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

To assemble:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces. Keep the remaining pieces well wrapped and in the refrigerator until ready to use. Flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough to a 3 mm thickness.
  • Use a 3-inch doughnut or cookie cutter to cut out an even number of circles. Top half the circles with a heaping teaspoon of chilled pastry cream. Place another circle on top and gently press the edges together to seal. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
  • Reroll scraps of dough and continue cutting circles until you have used up all the dough.
  • Bake for 20-22 minutes until lightly golden underneath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before dusting with powdered sugar.

Notes

On handling the pastry:

  • If the dough is difficult to roll and falls apart, place back in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. 
  • Working with one piece of dough at a time, I prefer to keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the pastry cream:

  • If the pastry cream becomes too runny while you are assembling the cookies, place in the freezer for 5 minutes, then resume filling the cookies.
  • Resist the temptation to over fill the genovesi or the pastry cream will ooze out while baking.

Can Genovesi Ericini be frozen?

Yes they can! Place Genovesi Ericini without powdered sugar in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 2 hours and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

How to store Genovesi Ericini:

  • Store at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage keep refrigerated (due to the pastry cream) for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg