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These delicate and buttery Italian Pinch cookies consist of a thin cookie dough that is pinched together to hold a thick jam filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar! It’s the ultimate treat for breakfast or tea time and isn’t overly sweet either!
The thin cookie base adds a crunchy texture which is perfectly balanced with the warm and gooey jam filling! Of course, you could easily fill these cookies with decadent Nutella instead for a sweeter and richer tasting cookie recipe.
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🗝️ Recipe’s key points
- Simple steps and common ingredients make this recipe easy for any level of baker.
- Melt in your mouth cookies with a light lemon flavor and jamy filling.
- Pairs great with eggnog or a cappuccino.
- These cookies are perfect for breakfast, tea time, or special occasions like the holidays!
These Italian Pinch Cookies are a classic Italian cookie treat that everyone is going to love this Christmas season or any time of the year!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Flour — regular all-purpose is fine.
- Baking powder
- Lemon zest
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Egg yolk
- Butter — make sure it’s cold and cut into small cubes
- Jam — we used strawberry, but raspberry and apricot are good.
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Add all the flour, except for one tablespoon, to a food processor.
- Add the baking powder, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Pulse a few times.
- Add the cubed butter and pulse.
- Once the mixture has a sandy consistency, add the yolk.
- Pulse several times.
- Transfer the dough to a working surface and slowly incorporate the remaining flour. Knead until the dough comes together, but don’t over work it.
- Place the dough ball on a sheet of cling film, flatten it into a disk, and wrap it well. Let the dough chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven and place the baking tray on the middle shelf. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a ⅛” thickness.
- Cut out 2.5-inch circles from the rolled dough.
- Place the circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add half a teaspoon of jam in the center of each circle.
- Bring the sides of the dough together as if to close the circle, and pinch the ends gently but firmly together to secure them.
- Bake the cookies for 17 minutes or until golden on top. Remove them from the oven, then cool them on a baking rack.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cooled cookies and serve.
🥫 Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container or sealed jar in a cool and dry area of your kitchen or pantry for 3-4 days. You can also store these cookies in the fridge for the same length of time, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
📚 Variations
- Substitute the lemon zest with an equal amount of orange zest.
- Substitute the butter in this recipe with 50 ml of light extra-virgin olive oil. This makes these cookies dairy-free!
- Experiment with flavored extracts like coconut, vanilla, or almond for a unique twist.
- Add a handful of finely chopped nuts, such as pistachios or hazelnuts, for crunch.
- Incorporate a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or cardamom for a warm, aromatic touch.
- Use a different jam, such as raspberry jam, blueberry jam, or apricot jam!
- Fill these Italian pinch cookies with Nutella or another dessert spread of your choice for extra decadence.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Always allow freshly baked cookies to cool completely before you store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
- Ensure the egg yolk is at room temperature for better incorporation.
- I’ve used gram measurements for this cookie recipe which is best, but you can use US cup measurements instead.
- The cold cubed butter provides a delicate pastry-like consistency to the dough. It’s also essential to rest the dough in the fridge before assembling and baking the cookies.
- You can use a metal serving ring, cookie cutter or cup to cut the circles in the dough.
🤔 FAQs
This depends on the type of Italian cookie recipe. These pinch cookies are also known as biscotti cookies.
Biscotti di Regina translates to “The Queens Cookies”. These cookies are also known as reginelle or Sicilian sesame seed cookies. They are small cookies coated with sesame seeds.
Bee-SKO-tee”.
“Pit-si-kaa-toh”.
Pizzicati are also known as biscotti pizzicati or pinch cookies.
- Italian Chocolate Toto Cookies – Totos are Chocolate Italian Christmas cookies studded with chocolate chips and walnuts. Cinnamon, cloves, and pepper spice are added to these delicious bicuits with an underlying note of orange and vanilla.
- The Best Italian Christmas Cookies – Soft buttery anise-flavored Italian Cookies are dipped in a creamy glaze, topped with colorful sprinkles. They are perfect for holidays and special occasions!
- Ricciarelli Almond Cookies – You’ll love these classic Italian Ricciarelli Almond Cookies for their chewy texture and yummy almond flavor. They are a stunning choice for the holiday dessert table.
🍽 What to serve with Italian Pinch Cookies
These would be perfect on a holiday dessert platter with other small treats like Espresso Coffee Cookies, Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon, and Old Fashioned Lemon Bars.
These delicious cookies are also great alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a dessert bowl.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Are tired of the same ol’ Christmas cookies year after year? Then start a new holiday tradition with these delicate bites of scrumptious, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Making Pizzicati cookies is not only an absolute blast but this recipe is so easy it practically makes itself.
These little charms will transport your taste buds to pure sugar paradise. So grab your aprons, crank up the Christmas tunes, and get ready to make the most delicious Italian Pizzicati Christmas Cookies on the planet.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What’s new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We’ll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make
cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Pizzicati – Italian Pinch Cookies
Italian Pinch Cookies are thin shortbread cookies, filled with thick jam and lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. The subtle sweetness of these cookies make them perfect for all to enjoy!
Servings: 18
Calories: 76kcal
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 125 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder 2g
- zest of half lemon
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 30g
- ⅓ cup butter cold and cut into small cubes 60g
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup strawberry or apricot jam — your favorite thick jam 80g
Instructions
-
Set aside one tablespoon of flour. Add the remaining flour into a a bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade, followed by the baking powder, lemon zest and powdered sugar, and mix briefly with several pulses. Add cubed butter and pulse again.
-
Once you have a sandy mixture, add the yolk and pulse several times. Transfer onto a working surface, slowly incorporate the remaining tablespoon of flour if necessary, and knead briefly until the dough comes together.
-
Transfer the ball onto a sheet of cling film, flatten it into a disk and wrap it well. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
-
Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F or with fan option on at 150°C/300°F. Arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf.
-
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll until the dough is approximately ⅛” thick. With a metal serving ring, cookie cutter or cup, cut circles about 2.5-inch/6cm in diameter.
-
Place half a teaspoon of jam in the center of each circle.
-
Bring the sides of the dough together as if to close the circle, and pinch the ends gently but firmly together to secure them.
-
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake them for about 17 minutes or until golden on top. Remove them from the oven, then cool them on a baking rack.
-
Once completely cooled, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve them.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS
You can substitute the lemon zest with an equal amount of orange zest. For dairy-free cookies, substitute the butter with 50 ml of light extra-virgin olive oil.
HOW TO STORE RICOTTA COOKIES
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container or sealed jar. Keep them in a cool spot in your kitchen or in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
FREEZING TIPS
Place the cookies on a baking sheet for an hour, then transfer them to a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to two months.
Nutrition
Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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