As promised, here is an alternative recipe in case you have leftover filling from Sicilian cassatelle, so you can use it without much effort! As I explained before, the filling, if well stored in the fridge, lasts for weeks and is delicious even eaten pure by the spoonful, but if you want to create other treats, I propose the extra virgin olive oil shortcrust pastry as a valid alternative! The advantages are many; in fact, it is a crumbly, light, super moldable shortcrust pastry base, but above all much faster and more practical because it doesn’t even require resting times in the fridge, so it’s a godsend for those always in a hurry! You can make these cookies with it which, yes, are recycled but are also incredibly irresistible, with a soft center inside that will amaze you! They will be perfect for breakfast or a snack accompanied by hot chocolate, an infusion, or simply as a dessert at the end of a meal. They’re a real temptation, like cherries; one leads to another! You’ll see, they’ll also be the perfect gift to offer for Christmas or Easter, plus they keep for weeks so they’re super appreciated!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 26 cookies
- Cooking methods: Stove, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients:
- 5.3 oz blanched almonds
- 3.2 oz brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 0.7 oz chickpea flour
- 0.9 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 lemon zest (untreated)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7.1 oz all-purpose flour (+ as needed for rolling)
- 3.5 oz type 1 flour
- 2.8 oz whole brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2.7 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon zest (untreated)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Tools:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 1 Pan
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Pot
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Cloth
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Cookie Cutter
- 1 Mat
- 1 Cooling Rack
Steps:
Begin by preparing the cookie filling following the initial steps from this recipe. The mixture on the stove will gradually thicken but remain somewhat soft. It’ll be ready when placing a teaspoon in the center, it will stay steady without falling. It will take about 10 minutes.
At this point, transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool, covering with a cloth for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, proceed with the shortcrust pastry following the steps in this recipe. Transfer the dough to a work surface and work the oil shortcrust pastry until it forms a homogeneous dough ball.
Using a rolling pin, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8 to 3/16 inch and, using a cookie cutter of 2 1/4 inches in diameter, cut out an even number of discs. Half of them will be the bases of your cookies.
I recommend flattening them slightly with the floured rolling pin, then filling them with a generous teaspoon of filling.
Cover with a second disc also slightly flattened, pressing the edges well with your fingertips.
Seal with the cutter itself, as you would for a ravioli.
Remove the excess edge which you can work again with the scraps of all the other cookies until the ingredients are finished.
Gradually place the cookies with a soft center well spaced apart on a tray equipped with a perforated mat as I did, or alternatively, simply lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 11-12 minutes max. They should only brown at the base.
Turn off, remove from the oven and gradually transfer the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
And voilà…your oil pastry cookies with a soft center are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
More shots…
Storage
👉 Oil cookies with a soft center can be stored at room temperature in a tin or airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣 If you haven’t previously made cassatelle and therefore don’t have this typical filling left, or if you’d like to try making oil pastry cookies in general with another type of filling, you can fill the cookies much more quickly with a fruit jam or citrus marmalade of your choice, or with a spread of hazelnuts, pistachios, etc., of your choice.
🟣 If desired, once cold, you could dust the cookies with some powdered sugar for an extra touch of sweetness.
