Italian Bocconotti Cookies

By littlefish

Blogger Arlene Cummings of Cooking With Sugar shares a beautiful Italian recipe called Bocconotti—a mini pastry-like cookie made with a variety of fillings. Her favorite is a combination of chocolate, jam and nuts

Ingredients

• Cookies
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• Filling
• 1/4 cup cherry, grape or strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 2 oz semisweet baking chocolate, very finely chopped
• Garnish
• Powdered sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolks, baking soda and lemon peel. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture comes together and begins to form a wet dough. (Or mix with electric mixer using dough hook attachment.) Gather dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate while making filling.
2. In small bowl, mix jam, almonds and chocolate until well combined.
3. With floured hands, shape teaspoonfuls of dough into about 24 balls; flatten each ball into a round. Press 1 round on bottom and up side of ungreased mini muffin cup. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling into cup. Top with a second round; seal edges. Repeat with remaining dough rounds and filling.
4. Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or cool.