November is the month of the dead and All Saints, and in the Lombard tradition, these simple dead’s cookies “mein di morti” (pan de mej in the Lodi dialect) are prepared. Delicious cookies made with corn flour, white flour, eggs, sugar, and butter. They can be covered with powdered sugar or flavored with anise or fennel seeds, depending on preference. Enjoy them simply on their own or accompanied by a cup of tea, coffee, or milk. This recipe is taken from the book “La cucina di Lodi – The recipes of tradition” curated by the APT of Lodigiano. If you like this recipe and don’t want to miss others, follow me on my Facebook page “A waitress in the kitchen” or in the dedicated group.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12/14 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Local
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
- 7 oz corn flour
- 7 oz sugar
- 3.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 3.5 oz butter
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1/2 packet baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed powdered sugar (optional)
- as needed anise seeds (or fennel seeds, optional)
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Stand mixer
- Paddle attachment
- Work surface
- Cookie cutter
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Preparation
To prepare the dead’s cookies “mein di morti” first, melt the butter in a small pot, being careful not to burn it.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of the stand mixer, pour the corn flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, whole egg, egg yolk, a pinch of salt, and, if desired, add the anise or fennel seeds (optional). You can also prepare the dough by hand without a stand mixer.
Add the butter to the flours in the bowl and start the stand mixer, gently increasing the speed until you get a smooth, homogeneous dough that completely detaches from the sides of the bowl (be careful not to overwork it, if necessary add a little flour).
When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured work surface and use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, no more. Then, with the help of a cookie cutter or glass (about 3 1/2 inches in diameter), cut out discs, about 12/15.
Place the cookies well spaced out on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake them in a preheated oven at 356°F and cook for about 15/20 minutes in a ventilated mode. They should be golden on the surface and not too dry.
Serve them with a dusting of powdered sugar, enjoy!!!
