Canestrelli liguri
Flower shortbread biscuits
Canestrelli: Liguria's melt-in-the-mouth flower shortbread made with cooked egg yolks
Canestrelli are the most delicate biscuits in Liguria: daisy-shaped shortbread with a hole in the middle, so fragile they melt in the mouth. The secret is hard-boiled egg yolks pushed through a sieve into the dough, with potato starch, which makes them crumbly and sandy. They are sold in Genoa and the hill town of Torriglia, piled in paper and covered with snowy icing sugar. Chef's tip: work the dough as little as possible and keep it cold; warm dough becomes too soft to cut into neat flowers.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
- 3 eggshard-boiled, yolks only
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz potato starch
- 5 ½ oz cold butterdiced
- 2 ⅞ oz icing sugarplus extra for dusting
- 1 lemonzest only
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/5 doneStep 2: Mix 5 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz potato starch, 2 ⅞ oz icing sugar and the zest of 1 lemon. Rub in 5 ½ oz cold butter, then add the sieved yolks and 1 tsp vanilla extract and bring together quickly into a soft dough. Wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Roll the dough 1 cm thick between sheets of baking paper. Cut with a flower cutter and make a hole in the middle with a piping nozzle. Common mistake: rolling too thin; they break.
Step 4: Put on lined trays and chill for 10 minutes, then bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale with barely gold edges.
15 minStep 5: Cool completely on the tray, as they are very fragile while warm. Dust generously with icing sugar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does canestrelli liguri take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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