ITALIAN SESAME SEED COOKIES/ BISCOTTI REGINA
Italian Sesame Seed Cookies/ Biscotti Regina, a classic Italian treat, so crunchy and lemony. These authentic Italian cookies are so easy to make.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sesame seeds roasted
- 2 cups wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 120 g butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest grated
- 8 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Take a wide pan and add the sesame seeds. Roast the seeds over low heat, stirring all the time till they just begin to pop.
- Remove the roasted sesame seeds from the pan onto a plate. Allow the seeds to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line baking trays with parchment paper or grease it lightly with butter.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
- Add sugar, honey and butter into another mixing bowl.
- Cream the mixture till it becomes light and fluffy.
- Add milk and lemon zest and mix till the milk is completely incorporated into the butter sugar mixture.
- Add the flour mixture. Using you hand make a soft dough.
- Take about a tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll it into a shape of yoru choice. You can make them round, logs or square.
- I shaped them into logs about 2 inches in length.
- Brush the logs very lightly with milk all over.
- Roll each long in the sesame seeds till they are fully coated.
- Arrange the cookies in a baking tray, an inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes. I baked them for 20 minutes at 180°C and then lowered the temperature to 150°C for the last five minutes.
- Remove the baked cookies from the oven.
- Remove them from the tray and allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight contianer or jar.
- Serve the cookies for dessert or with coffee, tea or milk.
Notes
- I've used wheat flour. You can replace it with all purpose flour.
- Make sure you roast the sesame seeds for that lovely nutty crunchy taste.
- Replace milk with an egg if you wish.
- Add flavoring of your choice.
- You can omit honey, but it adds a lovely flavour to the cookies.