ZAETI cookies are a Venetian recipe. History tells that the Zaleti – Gialetti cookies originated from a recipe born in Friuli, but became famous in Venice where they were sold on the street or door to door. The name “Zaleto,” which in Venice means yellow, comes from the use of yellow cornmeal that gives them their characteristic color.
Other typical Venetian cookies are Baicoli.
Here is the recipe with the Bimby.
They are very crumbly and suitable for accompanying a nice cup of tea or coffee, or served at the end of a meal accompanied by zabaglione or vin santo.
This original recipe for Zaletti, with perfect proportions, was suggested to me by Grandma Maria from Murano.
COOKIE recipes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: about 30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Veneto
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 62.87 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.83 (g) of which sugars 2.81 (g)
- Proteins 1.04 (g)
- Fat 2.39 (g) of which saturated 1.44 (g)of which unsaturated 0.93 (g)
- Fibers 0.33 (g)
- Sodium 16.02 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 15 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
Zaeti Cookies
The Venetian tradition demands equal weight of the two flours:
100 g cornmeal + 100 g white flour
I increased the amount of yellow flour by 40% because I poured the soaking liquid of the raisins into the dough. The result was better and faster.
- 4.93 oz cornmeal (fioretto or instant – 100 g of cornmeal for those who do not pour the water or liquor used for soaking the raisins into the dough)
- 3.53 oz all-purpose flour (for celiacs use gluten-free flour)
- 2.65 oz sugar
- 2.65 oz butter
- 1 egg
- 1.76 oz raisins
- Half tablespoon marsala (or water – 0.18 oz)
- 1 pinch salt
- 0.07 oz baking powder
Tools
- Bowl
- Scale
- Baking Tray large oven tray, or baking sheet
- Baking Mat silicone, or reusable baking paper
Zaeti Cookies
Soak the raisins in marsala (or grappa, rum) or water in a cup.
Remove the butter and egg from the refrigerator.
In a bowl, place the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and add the softened butter in pieces in the center. Mix the flour with the butter using your fingertips until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Add the egg and mix.
Add the raisins and a little soaking liquid (I used a little liquor and added it all). Mix well and distribute the raisins evenly.
Preheat the static oven to 356°F (180°C).
Take pieces of dough and shape them into elongated cookies, as in the photo.
Place them on the baking tray covered with parchment paper.
Bake them in the preheated static oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes, remove the zaeti cookies while they are still soft. They will firm up as they cool outside the oven.
STORAGE
Store the zaleti cookies in a tin box for up to two months.
– Delicious Alternative
You can replace raisins with dark chocolate chips. In this case, use only 100 g of cornmeal instead of 140 g.
– Disk-shaped Zaeti Cookies
– Disk-shaped Zaeti Cookies
Once the dough is ready (in this case I used only 100 g of cornmeal and did not add the soaking water from the raisins to the dough), create a roll with a diameter of about 1.18 inches, flatten it slightly to make it oval. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
Cut the dough into slices about 0.39 inches thick and place them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
