The taralli are an Apulian excellence that all Italy envies us; there are different flavors especially of the salty variant: with pepper, fennel seeds, boiled, heated, etc. … but there is also the sweet variant, with wine or glazed also called Eyes of Saint Lucia.

If salty ones are the protagonists of Apulian appetizers and aperitifs, sweet ones are excellent at the end of a meal as an accompaniment to coffee, for an afternoon snack or even for breakfast.

The recipe is similar to that of classic taralli which are boiled and then baked in the oven, however sweet taralli must be more double and bigger in order to have a homogeneous covering of icing over the whole surface of the tarallo; they are crispy and not very sweet because the dough is the same as salty ones and the difference is made by the icing.

 

 

Yield: Makes 20 taralli

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 5/8 cups (450 grams) all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 50 ml (10 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup of  of sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp sambuca liqueur or anice extract

For The Glaze

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/4  cup lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Combine the dry ingredients.

2. Beat the eggs.

3. Place the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs, olive oil and sambuca.

4. Whisk with a fork, then transfer the mixture onto a working surface and knead into a compact dough. Cover and let rest for an hour.

5. Divide the dough into pieces, roll each piece into a log. Cut into equal pieces, fold one end of the piece over the other to form a loop, press both ends to seal.

6. Boil a pot of water, drop the taralli one by one. Once the taralli float to the top, remove and transfer to a tray lined with a tea towel.

7. Leave the taralli to dry overnight.

8. Next morning bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 20 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool. They get crispier as they cool.

9. Prepare The Glaze:

Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice to form a thick paste.

You can make a thick or thin sugar glaze by adjusting the quantity of lemon juice. Add more if you need a thin glaze and less for a thicker consistency. Dip the tarallo in the glaze to coat completely.

Let the glaze dry before serving.