With Easter just around the corner, I obviously had to share a traditional Italian Easter recipe! So, today I will show you how to make Easter Taralli.

There are many different recipes for this dish, which is typical of the South of Italy. I chose a recipe that requires you to first boil and then bake the cookies, sort of like pretzels. This method gives the taralli a very peculiar texture: soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

This recipe uses Tutone, which is a Sicilian anise flavoured liqueur. However, if you cannot find it, any anise liqueur will do.
Easter in the Northern Hemisphere falls in spring, so Italian Easter dishes are often very colourful, just like the sprinkles on top of these taralli.

Make sure to check out the video for this recipe, because even though it is a pretty straightforward one, some steps may sound a bit tricky.

So… what’s on your menu this Easter?

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Easter Taralli

Easter Taralli – a delicious Easter dessert traditionally made for Easter in the South of Italy.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Taralli

• 160 gms – 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Tutone Sambuca, or Ouzo
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch baking soda +more to cook the taralli

Glaze

• 100 gms – ¾ cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 drops lemon juice
• Hundreds and Thousands

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, egg, vegetable oil, Tutone, sugar, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Knead well.
2. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and make 8 “patties”.
3. Using a wooden spoon, make a hole in the middle.
   
4. Put some water in a pot and add baking soda (1 tbsp per liter/4 cups). Bring to a boil.
5. Add the taralli to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep on a clean tea towel to dry.
6. Using a sharp knife, slice the taralli on the side, but not till the end – watching the video is very useful for this step.
   
7. Put the taralli on a tray lined with baking paper and bake in a pre-heated oven at 220°C – 430°F for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 180°C – 355°F and cook for a further 20 minutes. When ready, let them cool down.
8. In the meantime, make the glaze by mixing all the glaze ingredients together.
   
9. Dip each cooled tarallo into the glaze and sprinkle with Hundreds and Thousands.
   

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