Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 2 large eggs
- the zest of 1 small orange (or lemon)
- 1/2 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 1/2 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