Biscotti Di Consuolo (Consolation Biscuits)
Honey-sweetened Italian figure-eight cookies made with olive oil and just six ingredients. These charming consolation biscuits puff up golden and light with a tender, not-too-sweet crumb.
YIELD
3 dozenPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minIn Southern Italy, these little figure-eight cookies were traditionally brought to grieving families as a gesture of comfort, which is how they earned the name “consolation biscuits."
The dough couldn’t be simpler: flour, honey, olive oil, an egg, and not much else.
What makes them special is the shape. Each piece of dough gets rolled into a thin rope and twisted into a figure eight, giving the cookies an elegant look that belies how easy they are to make.
They bake up puffy and golden in about 10 minutes, with a tender crumb that’s gently sweet from the honey.
Think of them as the Italian cousin of a tea biscuit, only better.
Kitchen Tips
- Let the dough rest the full hour. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling those thin ropes much easier.
- Use a mild olive oil, not extra virgin. You want richness, not a grassy punch competing with the honey.
- Pinch the seams well and tuck them underneath at the center of the figure eight so they don’t pop open in the oven.
- These are lightly sweet by design. Serve with strong coffee or a drizzle of additional honey if you want more sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Combine the egg, honey and olive oil or butter in a bowl, beat to mix, and pour into the flour mixture.
Stir well to form a firm dough.
Remove the dough from the bowl to a floured surface and knead well, about 2 or 3 minutes.
Flour the dough lightly, wrap in plastic, and allow to rest at room temperature about 1 hour.
Unwrap the dough, cut it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a rope about ¼ inch in diameter x 12 inches long.
Divide each rope into three pieces.
Join the ends and form each piece into a figure eight, making sure that the seam lies at the midpoint of the figure eight and underneath it.
Transfer the biscotti to parchment lined cookie sheets and bake them in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for about 10 minutes, until puffed and light golden.
Cool the biscotti on a rack and store in a tin between sheets of wax paper.
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