Preparation

• Take the butter out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before using it.

  Cut it into cubes and let it soften in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.

  Once soft, add the sugar and beat until it becomes creamy. Add the whole egg and continue beating until the mixture becomes even creamier and fluffier.

  Add the yogurt, sieved flour along with baking powder, coconut, salt, and the grated zest of a mandarin or an orange.

  Start kneading with your hands. At first, the dough will appear ‘loose’ and crumbly. As you work it, it will become softer, homogeneous, and easier to handle; form it into a ball. The final consistency will be similar to shortcrust pastry.

  Now we can shape our tarallini. We will decide the size and thickness of the tarallini. Break off small pieces from the dough and shape them into sticks. Close them at one end and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue until the dough is finished.

  Bake the sweet taralli in the middle of the oven at 392°F for about 25 minutes, or until they are completely golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

  Prepare the mandarin glaze.

  In a wide and shallow bowl, place the powdered sugar. Add the mandarin juice, few drops at a time, and mix until you obtain a thick mixture. You can decide whether to completely dip the tarallini in the glaze (in this case, you will need about 5-6 oz of powdered sugar) or just wet the top. In both cases, let the excess glaze drip before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Before the glaze dries, sprinkle the tarallini with sprinkles and let them dry completely.

  These tarallini become tastier over time. Store them in a tin box. With the same process, you can make a delicious coffee glaze by mixing a few teaspoons of espresso or moka coffee with the powdered sugar.