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Chocolate Canestrelli Cookies

A delicious Italian Cookie, these Chocolate Canestrelli are crunchy, buttery with a delicious taste of chocolate. Perfect as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee or even as dessert. A fast and easy cookie recipe everyone will love.

Canestrelli cookies in a box.


 

Like any traditional recipe, there are numerous versions! Depending on the Italian region in which they are made. Some have almonds in the dough, others are very thin. The ones I am sharing today is based on the original recipe, the best known and sold in pastry shops and supermarkets in Italy.

I have come to love Italian cookies from the every popular Biscotti to a simple Pasta Frolla cookie to one of our favorite Nutellotti Cookies. But if you prefer you can also make a simple plain Canestrelli !

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour – all purpose flour, at least 11% protein
  • Powder sugar – also known as icing or confectioners’ sugar
  • Salt
  • Cornstarch
  • Cocoa – unsweetened dutch processed cocoa
  • Butter – softened butter
  • Eggs – hard boiled egg yolks

Hard boiled egg yolks are added to help make the cookie crumbly.

Cookies in a box with a cup of tea.

How to make Chocolate Canestrelli Cookies

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Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water, heat until boiling, then remove from heat and let sit 8-10 minutes. Place under cold water. Remove the shell and white part of the eggs, let the hard boiled yolks cool then mash well with a fork.

making chocolate canestrelli cookies, dry ingredients in food processor with egg yolks in a bowl

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, corn starch and cocoa into the bowl of your Food Processoradd the cold cut up butter and pulse a few times until you have coarse crumbs.

dry ingredients and butter mixed in food processor

Then add the mashed cooled egg yolks and pulse until the dough almost combs together. Move to a flat surface and gently knead into a compact smooth dough.

ingredients for canestrelli cookies all mixed

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or even over night.

chocolate canestrelli dough wrapped in plastic

Remove dough from fridge, on a lightly floured flat surface, start with rolling out half the dough cut out with a small size flower cookie cutter, using a straw or any small round hole cutter, cut a hole in the middle of the flower.

cutting out flowers for chocolate canestrelli cookies

Place cut out flowers on prepared cookie sheets and bake until done, the cookies should not brown. Let the cookies rest 5 minutes then move to wire racks to cool completely.

canestrelli cookies ready for baking

Dust with powdered sugar if desired before serving.

Cookies in a small box.

Where did Canestrelli originate?

Canestrelli are originally from Monferrato which is in the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy.

Why use a Food Processor?

A few of my Italian cookie recipes use a Food Processor (which by the way is quite popular here in Italy) to bring the dough together.

Why? Because you might think that there is not enough wet ingredients compared to dry, therefore the dough must come together quickly but gently. So pulsing with a food processor is a better choice if possible.

How to store them

The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, if your home is too warm I would advise refrigerating them. You can also freeze them in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

Two cookies on a wooden board.

These Chocolate Canestrelli Cookies are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee or just when you want something a little sweet. Enjoy!

up close chocolate canestrelli cookie

Chocolate Canestrelli Cookies

Rosemary Molloy
A delicious Italian Cookie, these Chocolate Canestrelli are crunchy, buttery with a delicious taste of chocolate. Perfect as a snack with a cup of tea.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 22 minutes
Course Christmas Cookies, cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 50 cookies
Calories 44 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup all purpose flour (at least 11% protein)
  • 9 tablespoons powdered / icing /confectioners sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons corn starch (80 grams total)
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened dutch processed cocoa
  • â…” cup butter (cold)
  • 3 large hard boiled egg yolks

Instructions
 

  • Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water, heat until boiling, then remove from heat and let sit 8-10 minutes. Place under cold water. Remove the shell and white part of the eggs, let the hard boiled yolks cool then mash very well with a fork.
  • Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, corn starch and cocoa into the bowl of your food processor, add the cold cut up butter and pulse a few times until you have coarse crumbs.
  • Add the mashed cooled egg yolks and pulse until the dough almost comes together.  Move to a flat surface and gently knead into a compact smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or even over night.
  • Pre-heat oven to 335° (170° celsius). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge, on a lightly floured flat surface, start with rolling out half the dough to 1/3 inch  (1 cm) thickness and cut with a small size flower cookie cutter, using a straw or any small round hole cutter (1-1½ inches/2½-3½ cm), cut a hole in the middle of the flower. 
  • Place the cut out cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, cookies should not brown. Let cookies rest 5 minutes then move to wire racks to cool completely, dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

If you don’t have a food processor you can make the dough by hand or with a stand mixer, but on low speed. 
The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, if your home is too warm I would advise refrigerating them. You can also freeze them in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 9mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

8 Comments

    1. Hi Bobbie, unfortunately not, because that’s what helps to make them tender. How about these chocolate shortbread cookies? https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/chocolate-shortbread/

  1. Am I missing something? You say to hard boil the eggs, remove the shell then mash the with a fork. Then you only use the yolks in the recipe.

    Is there supposed to be an instruction where you remove and discard the whites of the eggs after shelling and smash only the yolks? It doesn’t make any sense the way it’s written

  2. 5 stars
    Ive just discovered your site! The recipes seem amazing. Cant wait to try some of the cookie recipes! Thanks for sharing

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