Santa Lucia Cookies – Pastafrolle di Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia is celebrated on the 13th of December every year. However, the fun for children starts days before as the stands selling seasonal sweets come to Piazza Bra in the center of Verona. The typical cookie during this period is, Pastafrolle di Santa Lucia.
During this period the children write letters to Santa Lucia to tell her what presents they want. Then on the evening of the 12th they have to prepare milk for Santa Lucia’s donkey and bread for Santa Lucia. The children have to be careful on the night of the 12th because when Santa Lucia comes to their house they don’t have to see her! If they have been bad during the year she’ll bring coal. If they’ve been good they can expect a plate full of cookies and presents too.
It’s a period of goodies and gifts for children for which I have fond memories.
Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, you can use regular sugar too
16 Tbsp./ 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
powdered sugar (optional)
Makes about 4 dozens
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl beat at low speed butter and sugar, increase to high speed until the batter becomes creamy and fluffy.
2. Return to low speed and add the egg and the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat at low speed until blended.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.
5. Roll out the dough on a well floured work area to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
6. Cut the the dough with your favorite cookie cutters and lay them on cookie sheets covered with oven paper.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until they start to turn slightly golden in color.
8. Once they’ve cooled dust them with powdered sugar.
9. Cookies can be stored in a cookie tin for about 2 weeks.
Could you please tell me what is double active baking powder. I live in Australia and have only heard of baking powder.
Thanks in advance,
katherine
@Katherine: most baking powders today today are double acting which means that they have slow-acting acid and fast-acting acid. “A fast-acting acid reacts in a wet mixture with baking soda at room temperature, and a slow-acting acid will not react until heated in an oven. Baking powders that contain both fast- and slow-acting acids are double acting; those that contain only one acid are single acting. By providing a second rise in the oven, double-acting baking powders increase the reliability of baked goods by rendering the time elapsed between mixing and baking less critical…”
Read more on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder
WOW I needed an Italian dish for a school assignment and I made this and got top makes and best in my class. Its fun and easy to make and taste YUM! Thank you heaps.
Dear Jaymee,
I’m glad to hear it. Thanks for sharing it.
Ciao,
Patty
How many servings does this regular recipe make ?
Wow, My son just told me (9pm) on his way to bed that oh, by the way, I need to bring some kind of food from our nationality to school tomorrow. So I look up italian desserts and found this cool website! I have recently been motivated to research and implement some Italian traditions in our family so here is the story of the Santa Lucia tradition and cookies!
Thank you Patty!
How many cookies does this recipe make?
How many cookies does this recipe make? We need it for a homeschool social studies bazaar and I want to make sure to bring enough for everyone. Thanks.