Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies). Filled with jam or chocolate hazelnut spread these Sardinian sandwich cookies are beloved by adults and children alike. They are excellent to accompany breakfast but also to eat as a snack or as a dessert at the end of a meal. The traditional shape is that with a double flower but they are also cute in a double star shape.
Song of the day: It's Time - Imagine Dragons
Is there anything better than a buttery shortbread cookie? Oh yes, a sandwich cookie with a luxurious chocolate hazelnut filling, some icing sugar on top, and a cute flower shape.
The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange
The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange is celebrating its eighth year of spreading holiday goodness! It's a few years, now, that I am invited to contribute with a cookie recipe to the #sweetestseasoncookies virtual exchange. Cookies = love and the holiday season is all about sharing and spreading love, so a group of talented bloggers gets together and shares their most delectable and beautiful cookies. Last year I shared my Orange and Chocolate Star Cookies, the year before, Abbracci Cookies.
Inspiration for these Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies)
This year inspiration struck during our summer holiday in Sardinia, the beautiful island off the coast of Italy. These typical flower-shaped cookies that you see in the first picture below, accompanied us through our vacation (the second picture is of the house we were staying, overlooking the sea). Once we discovered Ciambelline Sarde at a local bakery, we kept going back to buy more. They were enjoyed at breakfast and also after lunch with an espresso. Crumbly, buttery, with a delicious chocolate filling, they were a pleasure to the eye and the palate.
Making Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies) at home
Once back home, I was eager to recreate the experience. Of course, I missed the ambiance: our friends, the seaside, the warm weather and relaxation of the holiday. Nonetheless, I knew that these cookies could bring back all the emotions. As for most Italian recipes, there are as many recipes as there are cooks. After thorough research online, I set on the recipe that I am sharing with you.
What you need (to make a lot of cookies)
- 500 g flour
- 2 large eggs
- the zest of 1 small orange (or lemon)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g sugar
- 90 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 90 g vegetable shortening
- 10 g baking powder
The short pastry
The Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies) have a beautiful short pastry that I made with a combination of butter and vegetable shortening. Many recipes list lard as the fat of choice, you can choose to use all butter, as you wish. The short pastry has a citrus flavor, like many Italian cookies, and a touch of vanilla. I chose orange, but lemon would do, too.
Rolling and cutting
There's a lot of rolling and cutting involved. I decided to use half dough at a time and divide the preparation in two days. The dough can rest in the fridge overnight, you just need to take it out of the fridge about 10 minutes earlier, to bring it to room temperature before rolling. As for the flower shape, the original cookies have 8 petals but I could only find a 6-petal cookie cutter, which works just as fine. The sizes are 3.5 inches (8 cm) for the bigger/bottom cookies and 2.5 inches (6 cm) for the smaller/top cookies. The top cookies have a hole in the center which I did with a piping nozzle.
Because the Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies) are quite thick, you need to roll the dough to a height of about 4-5 mm (½ cm).
Baking the Flowers
The baking part is as important as the making. As a matter of fact, you have to watch the cookies carefully as they bake, since you don't want to overbake them. They will tend to harden and get crispier if kept too long in the oven.
The Flavors
The short pastry is buttery and crumbly and with a lovely orange and vanilla fragrance that marries well with the chocolate hazelnut spread. The cookies are not too sweet, as most of my baking. I used a good quality chocolate hazelnut spread as the filling, you can also use jam as I did in these cookies here and here. And you can dust just the top with icing sugar, or dust the finished sandwich cookies.
The prettiest cookies!
I might be partial, but aren't these the prettiest cookies of all?
Since cookies for breakfast is typically Italian, I would suggest you try these Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies) with your morning coffee, tea, or cappuccino. You won't regret it, lol. Besides, they are perfect as a snack, for your tea time with friends, or dessert. They would also make a beautiful edible gift this holiday season. I know our family, friends, and neighbors enjoyed them a lot when we delivered some to them.
Have fun in the kitchen, and enjoy!
Song of the day: It's Time - Imagine Dragons
PrintCiambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies)
Ciambelline Sarde (Sardinian Sandwich Cookies). Filled with jam or chocolate hazelnut spread these Sardinian sandwich cookies are beloved by adults and children alike. They are excellent to accompany breakfast but also to eat as a snack or as a dessert at the end of a meal. The traditional shape is that with a double flower but they are also cute in a double star shape.
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 2 large eggs
- the zest of 1 small orange (or lemon)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g sugar
- 90 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 90 g vegetable shortening
- 10 g baking powder
Instructions
For the dough:
- Sift flour and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the K (paddle) attachment, add the eggs and the sugar, and mix just to combine.
- Add a pinch of salt, butter and shortening, grated orange zest, vanilla. Mix.
- Finally, add the flour mixture. Mix just until it comes together. Do not overwork.
- Shape it into a ball, flatten it and wrap it in plastic. Let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour.
- After the resting time, dust your work surface (I use a wood board) and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough to a height of about ½ cm (4-5 mm). I divided the dough in two (kept the other half in the fridge) and worked one at a time.
- With 2 cookie cutters (of two different sizes, 3.5 inches/8cm and 2.5 inches/6cm), cut an equal number of cookies. In the smaller cookie make a hole in the center using a piping nozzle. Set the holes aside.
- Arrange the bigger cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, slightly apart from each other, and bake them in the preheated oven at 340° F (170° C) for about 12-13 minutes, or until lightly golden. Once ready, let cool on a wire rack.
- Arrange the smaller cookies (the ones with the hole in the center) on a parchment-lined baking sheet, slightly apart from each other, and bake them in the preheated oven at 340° F (170° C) for about 7-8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Once ready, let cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.
- You can bake the holes on a separate baking sheet for about 8 minutes.
Assembly:
- Once cooled, with a small spoon, put some chocolate hazelnut spread in the center of each of the larger cookies. Top each with one of the small cookies with the hole in the center, pressing lightly to release a little chocolate from the sides.
Notes
Some recipes use lard. You can use lard, butter, or like I did, half butter and half vegetable shortening.
You can fill some cookies with jam and some with chocolate hazelnut spread.
Stored in a tin box, or any airtight container, these sandwich cookies lasts quite a few days. If you want to freeze them, freeze the cookies without the icing sugar dusting and filling. Then, when ready to use them, let thaw, fill them, sandwich them, and sprinkle with icing sugar.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: cookies, sandwich cookies, chocolate hazelnut spread, classic, Italian, Sardinia, ciambelline sarde, butter, vegetable shortening, eggs
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Colleen says
These cookies really are so pretty, and perfect for any time of year. I love your cookie cutters, they are adorable shapes. These will be the star attraction of any cookie exchange!
★★★★★
Thanks! I think they would steal the show for their cute look, but once you taste them, it's even better. So crumbly and delicious!
Kathie says
These are simply lovely! Can't wait to give them a try.
Thanks! We enjoyed them so so much! Hope you love them!
Angi says
These are so cute and I love shortbread cookies. I'll be trying them soon, for sure.
Thanks! They are delicious as well as pretty. A win win 🙂
Lauren Schmidt says
These are seriously so beautiful!!! I would love one with my morning coffee!
★★★★★
Thanks! They are amazing with coffee!
Amy Nash says
Wow these cookies are beautiful! And I love the flavor too!
★★★★★
The flavor is fantastic as is the texture. Thank you!
Rebecca Costa says
how cute are these! love them! can't wait to give it a go
I hope you do, they don't disappoint.
Sheila Thigpen says
These cookies are just beautiful! Perfect for special occasions.
★★★★★
Thank you! They look beautiful on a tray.
Cheryl - Pook's Pantry says
These cookies are beautiful! I can't wait to try the recipe!
Thank you! They are really good and extremely pretty 🙂
Leanne says
I love making sandwich cookies for the holidays, and these are the most elegant sandwich cookies I've ever seen! Perfect for gifting!
★★★★★
Thanks, Leanne! They are so pretty and also very delicious.