Zaleti or Gialletti (Little Yellow Diamonds)

By patticakes

Northern Italian cookie with cornmeal in the dough.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp grated lemon peel (orange peel)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal (process 3 to 4 minutes to make it fine)
• 1/3 cups pine nuts
• powdered sugar for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Combine raisins and rum, cover and let stand overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Drain raisins well and discard rum. Chop raisins coarsely.

Beat sugar and yolks at low speed until blended. Increase to high speed and continue beating untli pale yellow ribbons form when beaters are lifted (about 7 minutes). Beat in butter in a thin stream. Blend in lemon peel, vanilla and salt.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in raisins, flour, cornmeal and pine nuts. Rest dough for about 10 minutes.

Roll to thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut into diamonds with 1 inch sides. Arrange on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 6-8 min. until lightly browned. Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.