Caporali Cookies are typical cookies from the Genoese pastry tradition, perfect to add to my collection “Liguria on the table”. Very similar in appearance to savoiardi, they differ from the latter in their consistency.
Among the most famous sweets in Liguria are the caporali, the tall Genoese Pandolce and the Cream Puffs.
Caporali cookies are very soft and fluffy, unlike savoiardi which are more crumbly. To achieve the typical caporali consistency, it’s important to whip the yolks and the whites separately, then combine them with a few powders to get cookies with a dough very similar to Soft Sponge Cake.
Caporali cookies are great for dunking in milk or tea, but they are also perfect as a base for desserts like tiramisu or charlottes.
If you have tasted caporali during your holidays in Liguria, now you just have to try to replicate them at home with your own hands!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: about 20 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 3/4 cup g sugar
- 1 1/4 cups g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup g potato starch
- powdered sugar
Preparation
Crack the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.
Begin to whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until the mixture starts to increase in volume and become white.
Once the egg whites have body, start to add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar gradually.
Continue to whip the egg whites with the sugar until you get a firm and glossy mixture.
Pour the yolks into a bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.
Whip the yolks with an electric mixer until you get a frothy and light mixture.
Begin to gradually combine the whipped whites with the yolks, and stir from the bottom upwards to avoid deflating the mixture.
Combine all the whipped whites with the yolks and continue to mix to blend the mixture, being careful not to deflate it.
Add first the potato starch and then the sifted flour in small doses, always continuing to mix.
Then transfer all the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large smooth nozzle.
Form the caporali cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Then dust the surface of the cookies with powdered sugar and bake in a static oven at 356 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for about 10 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool, and then serve them on the table!
STORAGE
Store caporali cookies in a cookie tin for up to a week.
