The Butter Twists are typical cookies of Piedmontese pastry, particularly from the Turin and Biella areas. Originally called “torchietti” for their twisted shape, these traditional sweets were born in ancient country ovens. They were baked using bread dough rolled in sugar and left to cook slowly while waiting for the oven to reach the right temperature for bread baking. Over the years, the recipe was modified, and butter was added to make them tastier and more fragrant. The result is a light, crispy, and caramelized cookie. The traditional recipe includes yeast, but I preferred to omit it and use liqueur instead of water. Final result… Butter Twists without Yeast, delicious!
Recipe from February 27, 2017, updated
Other sweet recipes
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 23 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter (soft)
- 1/4 cup rum
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 1 tsp acacia honey
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Tools
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- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Pastry Board
- Parchment Paper
Steps
Take the butter out of the fridge half an hour before using it. Pour the flour into the stand mixer (but if you don’t have one, you can do it by hand), add the soft butter in pieces, and start mixing. Once a “sandy” texture has formed, add the sugar, honey, and finally the rum. Knead well, form a dough ball, wrap it in parchment paper, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to static mode at 392 degrees Fahrenheit. Take small balls from the dough, about 0.7 oz each, form into cords approximately 7 inches long, and cross them at the bottom. Roll them in brown sugar and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. With wet hands, sprinkle a bit of water over the twists. Bake for 20 minutes until they achieve a nice golden color.
