Small bake-only lemon shortcrust rings with a thin white lemon icing, adapted from Italian sweet taralli recipes rather than boiled egg-dough rings.
Sweet Lemon Taralli
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Allow about 191 minutes: 35 hands-on, 30 chilling or resting, 36 whole-batch cooking and 90 cooling/setting. Cooling includes tray rest. Follow the method for batch sizes and doneness cues.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Kitchen scale or US measures
- Mixing bowls and whisk
- Bench scraper
- Two parchment-lined 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Cooling rack
- Small icing bowl and spoon
Small bake-only lemon shortcrust rings with a thin white lemon icing, adapted from Italian sweet taralli recipes rather than boiled egg-dough rings.
Ingredients
Optional sprinkles are for decoration and are not included in the nutrition estimate. Spice weights are approximate.
Instructions
Make lemon shortcrust
- 1Make lemon shortcrustWhisk oil and sugar, then add egg, yolk, the 30 g dough juice and zest. Mix wheat flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt separately and fold into the wet mixture. Bring together into a pliable dough. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll small open rings
- 2Roll small open ringsHeat the oven to 350°F (177°C) conventional or 325°F (163°C) fan. Divide dough into 24 portions, about 25 g each. Roll into 5-inch ropes, overlap the ends slightly and pinch to form rings about 2 inches across, with generous center holes. Put twelve on each of two lined large sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake directly without boiling
- 3Bake directly without boilingBake one sheet at a time for 15–18 minutes, allowing 36 minutes for both. The bases should be light golden and the tops set but pale. This leavened shortcrust dough goes straight to the oven: do not boil or score the rings. Rest on each sheet 10 minutes, then cool on a rack 20 minutes.
Ice the upper face
- 4Ice the upper faceStir powdered sugar with the separate 30 g icing juice until smooth and thick. Dip only the cold upper faces, let excess drip back and clear any icing bridge across the hole with a small spoon. Leave the sides and bases mostly bare. Let the icing dry about 60 minutes; cooling and setting total 90 minutes after the last batch.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Keep the dough juice and icing juice separate so all liquid amounts remain controlled.
Technique & texture
Potato starch makes the rings delicate; lift them only after the sheet rest.
Finishing & serving
A generous opening before baking prevents the leavened dough from closing the ring.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 3 days | Store fully set rings airtight in a cool place with parchment between layers. |
| Refrigerator | Up to 5 days | Store airtight if the kitchen is warm; the icing may soften. |
| Freezer | Up to 1 month, uniced | Freeze cold baked rings and ice after thawing. |
| Make ahead | Up to 1 day | Refrigerate covered raw dough, then let it become pliable before rolling. |
| Finishing | After thawing | Thaw covered at room temperature, ice and allow the full setting period. |
Notes
- Use a light hand when joining the ropes and keep the hole open through both baking and glazing. This home formula has not been kitchen-tested.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per serving calculated from ingredient weights divided by 24; required fillings and toppings included, optional decorations excluded. Brands, unused coating and actual serving size affect the estimate.
THE COOKIE INDEXITALIANCHRISTMAS COOKIES
Frequently Asked Questions
Must sweet taralli be boiled?
Some regional egg-dough styles are boiled. This specifically labeled shortcrust version is baked directly, following documented sweet lemon cookie methods.
Are these the same as Calabrian ginetti?
No. Ginetti in this collection use boiled and scored egg-dough rings; these are smaller oil-and-starch shortcrust cookies.
Why did the glaze block the hole?
Excess icing can bridge a small opening. Drain well and clear the center while the icing is wet.
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