GialloZafferano's Recipe of the Day: Sardinian Papassini

Sardinian papassini, also known as papassinos, papassinas, or pabassinos, are traditional cookies from Sardinia, prepared especially for All Saints' Day. They have a distinctive diamond shape, a rustic, crunchy texture, and a dough enriched with raisins and almonds. Making them even more recognizable is the white glaze, called cappa, decorated with cheerful colored sprinkles. Their name comes from the Sardinian word papassa, meaning raisin, one of the main ingredients in these little sweets.

INGREDIENTS FOR 25 COOKIES:

• Type 00 flour 4 cups (500 g)
• Sugar 1 cup (200 g)
• Lard 7 oz (200 g)
• Raisins ¾ cup (130 g)
• Peeled almonds 1 cup (130 g)
• Eggs (about 2 medium) 4.2 oz (120 g)
• Whole milk warm ⅓ cup (80 g)
• Baker's ammonia ¼ tsp (1 g)
• Almond extract 0.4 tsp (2 g)

FOR THE ICING:

• Powdered sugar 1 ¼ cup (150 g)
• Egg whites ( about 2 ) ⅓ cup (80 g)
• Colored sprinkles to taste

1. Prepare the raisins and almonds: soak the raisins in water. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a pan and coarsely chop them. Dissolve the baker's ammonia in the warm milk, stirring well, and drain the now-softened raisins.
2. Make the dough: pour the flour and sugar into a bowl, add the lard, and start working it with your hands. Incorporate the eggs, almond extract, milk with the baker's ammonia, and the toasted, chopped almonds.
3. Add the raisins: add them to the dough and work until you get a smooth dough ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
4. Shape the cookies: take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 3/8 inch (1 cm). Cut out diamonds with a cookie cutter and knead the scraps again to use them all.
5. Bake the papassini: arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes. Once ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly.
6. Prepare the glaze: pour the egg whites and powdered sugar into a bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until you get a white, thick, spreadable mixture.
7. Decorate the cookies: spread the glaze over the surface of the papassini with the help of a spatula and immediately sprinkle them with colored sprinkles. Transfer them to a wire rack and let the glaze dry completely before enjoying them.

If you prefer not to use lard, you can replace it with the same amount of butter, as suggested in the original recipe. Also, if you want to make the papassini in advance, you can store the raw dough in the freezer and use it when you need it. Once baked and decorated, the cookies will keep for about one week in a tin box.