Orietta Berti’s Cookies

Name: Orietta Berti’s Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 60
Ingredients: 1000 g of All Purpose Flour; 250 g of Butter; 250 g of Sugar; 5 Eggs; 16 g of Baking Powder; 1 Lemon; 1 pinch of Salt

Orietta Berti's cookies: simple, crumbly breakfast shortbread made with flour, butter, eggs and sugar. Easy, quick and perfect for gifting.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 25 minutes
Cooking 15 minutes
Servings for about 60 cookies

Orietta Berti’s cookies became famous after the singer from Emilia described on television the recipe she has been making for years for her family’s breakfast, learned from a pastry chef friend. They are simple, wholesome shortbread cookies made from a crumbly, fragrant pasta frolla, the Italian shortcrust, with just a few ingredients everyone has in the pantry: flour, butter, eggs, sugar and baking powder.

The result is a golden cookie, slightly crisp outside and tender inside, perfect for dunking in milk or enjoying with a cup of tea. In our version we have better balanced the amounts of butter and sugar against the flour, for a softer dough that is easier to work, and added a touch of lemon zest that enhances the aroma without changing the character of the recipe. They are also ideal to make together with kids using cookie cutters, and to pack in bags as a sweet homemade gift.

Ingredients for about 60 cookies

1000 g of All Purpose Flour
250 g of Butter at room temperature
250 g of Sugar
5 Eggs medium, at room temperature
16 g of Baking Powder (1 packet)
1 Lemon (unwaxed, zest only)
1 pinch of Salt

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Method

To make Orietta Berti’s cookies, take the butter out of the fridge at least 30 minutes ahead so it softens, then cut it into cubes. Mound the flour on a pastry board, make a well and mix it with the baking powder and the pinch of salt.
Pour the sugar, the grated lemon zest, the butter pieces and the lightly beaten eggs into the center of the well.
Start kneading from the center, gradually drawing in the flour from the edges. Work quickly with your fingertips, without warming the dough too much, until you have a smooth, firm ball. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon of milk.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes, so it becomes easier to roll out.
After resting, preheat a conventional oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about half a centimeter (1/4 inch).
Cut out the cookies with a round cutter or the cookie cutters you like best, rerolling the scraps to use all the dough. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between them.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack before serving or sealing them in bags. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can replace the lemon zest with orange zest or with the seeds of a vanilla bean. For a more indulgent version, sprinkle them with granulated sugar before baking, add chocolate chips to the dough or dip half of each cookie in melted dark chocolate.

Tips

Work the dough as little as possible to keep the cookies crumbly. Keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of baking: they should stay pale in the center, because they harden as they cool. If you want to give them as gifts, pack them only when they are completely cool, to avoid condensation in the bags.

Storage

Store the cookies in a tin or in tightly closed food bags at room temperature for 7-10 days. The raw dough keeps in the fridge for 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.