Cooking with Manuela: Traditional Venitian Bussolai Cookies

Ring-shaped cookie typical of Burano island in Venice, Italy

Don't forget there are only 48 hours left for your chance to win a set of silicone baking mat from Kitchen Executive Chef. On Wednesday, I will announce the winner, selected randomly through PromoSimple. Here is where you can enter:

And here is one more recipe I made using my silicone mats. These cookies, traditional from Burano island in Venice, could not miss from my list of dessert recipes.
They are made from simple ingredients, sweet dough and lemony aroma. A bit crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside. Like the biscotti (or cantucci) these are great cookies to have for breakfast with your cappuccino or milk. Or for snack with your afternoon tea. Or, as a true Venetians, after dinner dipped in a delicious glass of sweet wine!
This recipe is simple and quick to bake. But, no matter how good and original you can make these bussolai, there is nothing like enjoying one of these cookies from a pasticceria in Burano, eating while strolling around the picturesque pastel-colored houses down the canals.
Ingredients: to make 8-10 cookies, about 3 in in diameter Printable Recipe

4 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest
pinch of salt, 1/8 teaspoon
2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preparation time: About 45 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a double boiler.

Step 2: Blend the egg yolks with the sugar until nice and fluffy.

Step 3: Stir in the melted butter.

Step 4: Blend in the salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest

Step 5: Mix in the flour.

Step 6: Make doughnut shape cookies. Start by rolling long pieces of dough, about 7 in long, 3/4 in thick. Close them in a circle, making cookies that are about 3 inhes in diameter (before baking). Place the cookies on the silicone mat over a baking sheet. No need to grease!