The befana cookies are perfect for Epiphany, shaped like little brooms and delicious for both kids and adults! A simple orange dough that comes together quickly, they’re perfect for gifting or filling a Befana stocking. Let’s see the ingredients and how to make them.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8/10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
- Energy 350.62 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 49.29 (g) of which sugars 16.66 (g)
- Proteins 6.59 (g)
- Fat 15.18 (g) of which saturated 9.30 (g)of which unsaturated 5.18 (g)
- Fibers 2.16 (g)
- Sodium 159.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Befana Cookies Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (Cold, cut into pieces)
- 1 orange (Grated and juiced)
- 1 egg (+one yolk)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- as needed cookies (mikado)
- 2 1/2 oz dark chocolate 70%
Tools
- 1 Cookie Cutter
- 4 Bowls
- 1 Fork
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Grater
- 10 Skewers
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Plastic Wrap
- 1 Cooling Rack
Steps for Befana Cookies
For about 30/35 cookies depending on the size.
In a bowl or on a pastry board, combine the flour with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. Add the cold butter pieces, the juice, and the grated zest of the orange.
Add the sugar, one whole egg, and one yolk. Mix all ingredients until a nice dough forms. If the dough seems too soft, which can happen due to the orange juice, just add a little more flour as needed. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
After this time, retrieve the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured pastry board, roll out a not too thin sheet (about 1/8 inch), then with the bell-shaped cutter, cut out many brooms. Place them next to each other on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
With the tines of a fork, make incisions in the lower part to simulate stiff fibers.
Now, in the upper part of the broom, gently insert a wooden skewer to make the handle, bake at 340/355°F for about 10/12 minutes, always adjust to your oven for time and temperature.
Once the cookies are golden, they are ready. Now we must be very quick to remove the skewer, do this step while the dough is still warm, otherwise the cookie might break.
Immediately insert the Mikado biscuit in the hole where the skewer was removed, from the non-chocolate side. Then let the brooms cool and set on a cooling rack. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate and with a piping bag – or simply a skewer – decorate the brooms as you like.
Enjoy the treat!
Storing Befana Cookies
The befana cookies can be stored in a tin box for 5/6 days.
They can also be decorated with royal icing.
