Italian Semolina Cookies
Semolina Cookies are delicious cookies with an amazing texture. They are studded with cranberries or can be made with nuts or chocolate chips. They are easy to make and a creative unexpected cookie recipe to share with family and friends.
Maybe you’ve heard of semolina flour used to make pasta but have you ever tried an Italian semolina cookie? Yes, the coarse flour (the texture reminds me a little of cornmeal) is just perfect for making a batch of delicious cookies.
For this recipe, I pair the semolina with bread flour to make a hearty, rustic cookie. For a pop of color and flavor, I like to mix in dried cranberries, but nuts or chocolate chips go well in them, too.
Semolina cookies are easy to make and are just a little different from your usual cookie recipe. They’re worth buying a package of semolina flour and you can use the leftover to make homemade pasta!
Recipe Ingredients
- Dried cranberries
- Semolina flour
- Bread flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Large egg
- Brown sugar
- Melted butter
- Granulated sugar
How to make Semolina Cookies
Place the cranberries in a heat-proof bowl. Cover them in boiling water and soak them for 10 minutes and then thoroughly drain them. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the semolina, bread flour, salt, and baking powder. Set the dry ingredients aside.
In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar for two minutes with an electric mixer. Beat in the melted butter and then mix in the dry ingredients at low speed.
Add the cranberries and mix to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough for one hour.
Form the chilled dough into one-ounce balls and roll each in granulated sugar. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly flatten them with a fork and then chill them while the oven heats.
Bake the cookies until they are golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.
Recipe Tips
Soaking the cranberries first softens and rehydrates them so they aren’t so chewy in the cookies. You don’t have to soak them, but I think they work better that way in the recipe.
If you don’t like cranberries, you can substitute chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Or mix in some chocolate chips instead.
For extra flavor in your semolina cookies, try adding some lemon zest or some vanilla extract to the dough.
How to store the cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and they will keep for several days.
How to freeze Semolina Cookies
The cookies can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
If you’ve been looking for new cookies recipes to try, these semolina cookies are worth a try! I hope you love them as much as I do. Enjoy!
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Italian Semolina Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup semolina flour
- ½ cup bread flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 large egg
- 6½ tablespoons brown sugar ( lightly packed)
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- ½ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped nuts or chocolate chips
EXTRAS
- ¼-½ cup granulated or Demerara sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the semolina, bread flour, salt and baking powder, set aside.
- In the mixing bowl beat the egg and sugar 2 minutes, then add the melted cooled butter, beat to combine 1 minute. Add the whisked dried ingredients and combine on low with the mixer or with a wooden spoon, when almost combined add the cranberries, nuts or chips.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Remove from the fridge and form into small balls (a little smaller than golf ball size – mine weighed 25 grams / 1 ounce). Roll the balls in the sugar and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with a fork. While the oven is pre-heating refrigerate the cookie dough approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
- Bake the cookies for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
I loved these cookies! I forgot to boil the cherries, but otherwise followed the directions exactly. They came out perfect.
Hi Erin, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed them. Take care!
I made this recipe but it never became a dough. I dont think that 3 tablespoons os butter is enough to moisten the mix into a dough. Please reply re what I did or did not do. Thanks
Hi Joel, sometimes it depends on the butter you use, so you may need more to form a dough, if so then yes add more. Hope that helps. Take care1