Valentine’s Day cookies with raspberry heart
- ieatitaly
San Martino Biscuits
337
Calories per serving
- Energy Kcal 337
- Carbohydrates g 48
- of which sugars g 22.6
- Protein g 7.4
- Fats g 12.7
- of which saturated fat g 6.38
- Fiber g 1.1
- Cholesterol mg 25
- Sodium mg 111
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 30 min
- Cook time: 30 min
- Makes: 15
- Cost: Low
- Note + 4 hours of rising
PRESENTATION
San Martino biscuits are typical Sicilian sweets prepared on November 11, the day of commemoration of the Saint that coincides with a traditional agricultural renewal. On this date, agricultural contracts were renewed, and the occasion was celebrated with autumn's seasonal fruits, including the new wine. The old proverb, “On San Martino every must is wine,” reminds us that during this time, cellars are opened to taste the new wine, which often accompanies the tasting of these biscuits. The Sicilian tradition indeed holds that San Martino biscuits, in their classic version, are dipped in the new wine or moscato, but the more indulgent have created a more enticing version that involves filling the biscuits with a delicious and aromatic ricotta cream, a variant we couldn’t resist either! The cult of San Martino is spread in many other regions of Italy, and each one honors the saint with typical local sweets, one better than the other!
INGREDIENTS
337
Calories per serving
- Ingredients for 15 biscuits
- Type 00 flour 4 cups (500 g)
- Fresh brewer's yeast 1 oz (25 g)
- Sugar ½ cup (100 g)
- Lard 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Black anise 3 tsp (15 g)
- Water 6.75 oz (200 g)
- Cinnamon powder ½ tsp
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- for filling
- Cow's milk ricotta cheese 2 ¼ cups (550 g)
- Powdered sugar 1.3 cups (150 g)
- Cinnamon powder 1 pinch
- Dark chocolate chips 2.75 oz (75 g)
- for soaking
- Moscato wine 0.7 oz (20 g)
- Water 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)
Preparation
How to prepare San Martino Biscuits
To prepare San Martino biscuits, sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook 1, add the sugar 2, and flavor with ground cinnamon 3
And black anise seeds 4. Separately, in a small bowl, place the fresh yeast, add a little water taken from the total amount 5, and stir to dissolve it 6.
Turn on the stand mixer at low speed and gradually pour in the water where you dissolved the yeast 7, always gradually add the remaining amount of water 8. Also add the lard, one tablespoon at a time 9.
Finally, incorporate the salt 10 and continue kneading until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough that detaches from the sides and hooks onto the hook 11. At this point, take the dough and briefly knead it on a work surface to give it a rounded shape 12
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap 13, and let it rise in a turned-off oven with the light on for 3 and a half hours or until it has tripled in volume. Once risen 14, take the dough and place it on a work surface. Form a loaf 15
Cut pieces of about 2 oz each 16 from this and with each piece, create small loaves about 10 inches long, roll the small loaf to create a spiral shape (17-18).
Lay the small biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a cloth 19, and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature. After the second rising, bake the San Martino biscuits at 350°F for 30 minutes. The biscuits should be golden brown 20. While the biscuits cool, prepare the cream: in a bowl, sift the ricotta 21,
Add powdered sugar, cinnamon 22, and chocolate chips 23. Stir to mix the ingredients, transfer the cream to a piping bag with a smooth nozzle 34, and let it set in the refrigerator.
In a small bowl, dilute the moscato with water 25, then take the well-cooled biscuits, cut them in half 26, and brush the inside with the moscato soak 27.
Squeeze the cream onto one of the two halves of the biscuits 28 and close with the top half 29. San Martino biscuits are ready to be enjoyed 30.
Storage
Advice
For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.
