The “Dormendi” are typical cookies from Venosa, in Basilicata, perfect for dunking. I got to know them thanks to Grandma Teresa’s expertise, a 92-year-old woman who, with great passion, never stops making these special cookies for her favorite granddaughter, even sending them to Rome. Luckily, I was at Angela’s house when one of the much-awaited packages arrived!
These cookies are perfect for dunking as they completely change texture when they come into contact with a liquid. My favorite combination is to dip them in milk, but they’re also great with tea and herbal teas.
Grandma Teresa is very fond of her recipe and insists it be followed to the letter, with no substitutions. You can’t replace the baking ammonia specified in the recipe with regular baking powder, as it would completely change the cookie’s texture. It would be different from the original.
If you love cookies with an authentic and traditional flavor, I recommend trying these as well
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 158.16 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 28.13 (g) of which sugars 13.39 (g)
- Proteins 3.11 (g)
- Fat 4.60 (g) of which saturated 0.82 (g)of which unsaturated 0.32 (g)
- Fibers 0.46 (g)
- Sodium 93.53 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 43 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
Ingredients
The special ingredient in Grandma Teresa’s big cookies is the full use of baking ammonia as a leavening agent!
- 3 eggs
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 250 g sugar
- 1 packet vanillin (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 1 packet baking ammonia
- to taste sugar (for the surface)
Tools
- 2 Baking trays
- 1 Metal scraper
Preparation
The preparation of the dough is really simple and can be done entirely by hand, but I preferred to use the planetary mixer with the leaf hook to make the work easier.
Mix all the ingredients until you get a compact dough, with which to form a soft and moist loaf, thanks to the oil present in the recipe. You can knead by hand or, if you prefer, use the planetary mixer with the leaf hook.
With the help of the scraper, slice the dough and work each slice into logs. Then, roll each one in granulated sugar, pressing slightly to make the sugar adhere well.
Place the logs on the baking trays, previously lined with parchment paper, making sure to keep them well spaced apart.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, but after 15 minutes check if they are golden. If necessary, turn off a little earlier, as they should not color too much. I recommend spacing them more than I did, because, as you can see from the photo, they grow a lot and should not stick together. It is better to place about 10-12 pieces per tray.
NOTES
As already explained, to make the original big cookies, it is not possible to replace baking ammonia with regular baking powder, as the result will not be the same in terms of softness and fragrance. The big cookies keep perfectly for several days if stored in the classic cookie tins with a lid.
If you liked the recipe or have questions, feel free to comment here or on social media Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and X.
How long should the dough rest before forming the logs?
The dough does not need to rest before being worked.
