Italian Seed Cookies Biscotti Di Regina: The Queens Cookies
- Category: Desserts
Description
Italian Seed Cookies also known as Biscotti di Regina translates to “The Queens Cookies”. You will find these cookies available all through Sicily in pastry shops and bakeries around Christmas time. They are also known as Seed Cookies and Sesame Cookies. They are tender on the inside, with a crisp coating of sesame seeds on the outside.
They are perfect with coffee, tea, and even dessert wines like Marsala or Vin Santo. During the holidays I like to have a container of them around to add to various desserts or just for coffee and tea.
This is a simple recipe that you will enjoy making.
Servings: about 30 Cookies
Ingredients
Seed Cookie Mixture:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks of butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2/3 Cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoons of Vanilla
1 Egg
For forming the cookie:
1 bowl of heavy cream
1 bowl of sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Instructions
1. Combine flour and butter in a bowl
2. Add sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and egg
3. Mix all the ingredients well
4. To form the cookies roll into a ball and push down in the center to form a little log
5. Dip it in the cream and roll it in the sesame seeds
6. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake about 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Once they are done baking let them set for about 10 minutes before you move them off the tray.
Another way to form the cookies:
1. Roll the dough into logs 1-inch in diameter
2. Cut the logs into 3-inch lengths
3. Dip each piece of dough into the cream and then roll in the sesame seeds
36 Comments
Mary
January 16, 2014 at 6:21 pmMade for xmas. My son in law said this was his favorite new cookie. Thanks
Carrie Pacini
January 16, 2014 at 7:27 pmHi Mary, so happy to hear that. These are my favorite cookies too :)
Rich Falzone
February 16, 2014 at 3:01 pmJust reading about them takes me back to when I was a kid.
In the Bronx.
Carrie Pacini
February 25, 2014 at 7:22 amHi Rich so glad these cookies brought back memories for you. They are a big part of my childhood too :)
rose
March 4, 2014 at 10:27 amDoes this cookie recipe freeze well. Looking to make them for my daughters bridal shower next month and searching for recipes I can start doing now and freeze until the shower which is in 4 weeks. Also does the heavy cream need to be whipped or left as a liquid form. Looking forward to making these.
Thanks you.
Carrie Pacini
March 5, 2014 at 5:46 pmHi Rose, Yes, you can bake them and freeze them. I’ve done this many times with this recipe. The heavy cream is left in liquid form.
Gabriella Frisella
December 17, 2014 at 7:35 pmI absolutely Loved this recipe,,, so easy and so Italian and so like my Grandmother’s,,, Thank You
Carrie Pacini
December 21, 2014 at 9:56 amYour are Welcome! We love this cookie too. Very Old World and so delicious.
Virginia Bradley
February 14, 2015 at 3:39 pmLove these cookies ! Confused about how many the recipe should make . The recipe states 30 servings . Is a serving one cookie ? I certainly could eat more than one , and have .
Carrie Pacini
February 15, 2015 at 2:45 pmHi Virginia, You will get about 30 cookies.
Joanne
April 9, 2015 at 6:47 pmcan you substitute milk for the cream?
Carrie Pacini
April 10, 2015 at 7:16 amHi Joanne, yes you can substitute milk for the cream.
Joanne
April 16, 2015 at 9:38 amHow much is 2 sticks of butter. My butter is not in sticks but it’s a block of a pound
Carrie Pacini
April 16, 2015 at 10:05 amHi Joanne, 2 sticks of butter is 16 US Tablespoons of Butter, or 1 US cup of Butter. Thanks, clp
Michael Quinn
September 24, 2015 at 3:35 pmLove you recipes I use lowly
Carrie Pacini
September 25, 2015 at 6:58 amThanks Michael
GIOVANNI PIZZOFERRATO
October 7, 2015 at 6:10 pmFOR THE SEED COOKIES, WHAT LIQUID DO I PUT IN WITH THE FLOUR & BUTTER?, PLEASE ADVISE, THANK YOU, GIOVANNI
Carrie Pacini
October 8, 2015 at 9:59 amHi Giovanni, there’s no liquid for the flour mixture, between the egg and the butter you will have a paste that you can mold into the logs. Once they are shaped you dip them into the cream and then roll in the seeds. Thanks, Carrie
Cindy Evans
January 3, 2016 at 2:42 pmHi Carrie, i made these biscuits & they are delicious! Great recipe! I am looking for a recipe like this that is lemon flavored. Can lemon extract be substituted for the vanilla? Or is there another recipe ? What is the italian name for a lemon flavored sesame seed biscuit?
Carrie Pacini
January 5, 2016 at 6:18 pmHi Cindy, I’ve never had this seed cookie with Lemon but I can’t imagine it would hurt to swap the vanilla out for it. I’m familiar with the lemon drop also called Anginetti but it doesn’t have seeds in it. The only other thing I thought of was a Lemon poppy seed cookie. Did it for sure have sesame seeds in it?
Cindy
January 4, 2016 at 5:26 pmHow do these cookies taste with lemon extract vs vanilla?
Carrie Pacini
January 5, 2016 at 6:19 pmI think it’s worth a try!
Cindy Evans
January 6, 2016 at 9:32 pmCarrie, You are right. The lemon ones I was thinking of do not have sesame seeds in them. I was thinking of Anginetti. I love your cookie with the vanilla. Thank you & I will let you know how it tastes with the lemon when I try it! :)
Carrie Pacini
January 18, 2016 at 2:13 pmI can’t wait to hear how the lemon turns out.
C. DePerro
October 30, 2016 at 1:18 pmMy grandmother (Italian) made these with lemon oil. I have an old recipe in her handwriting that lists these ingredients (fyi it apparently was for a LOT of cookies):
3lbs flour
1lb sugar
1lb shortening
2 1/2 tbls baking powder
1 tbls lemon oil
10-12 eggs
All she wrote after was “milk and seed”, and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. No other instructions :)
Carrie Pacini
December 28, 2016 at 10:34 amThat’s so cool! What region of Italy was she from? I could see how the lemon oil would work really well for this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Peaches
November 17, 2016 at 1:50 pmFinally…I had lost my Mother’s receipe. I actually teared up reading yours. She recently passed away and this holidsy season will just not be the same. I am making for all her grandchildren so they remember theur Nana. Thank you
Carrie Pacini
November 17, 2016 at 2:30 pmI am so happy you found this one! It’s my favorite cookie for the holidays :)
gina dotson
December 12, 2016 at 3:07 pmThank you for this and all your recipes. i am making 400 cookies for my daughters wedding. It looks like all of these will be able to baked then frozen.
Just wondering when you thaw them, so they get soggy because they were frozen?
Carrie Pacini
December 12, 2016 at 6:40 pmHI Gina, I would thaw them the day before you need them in the morning.
Gina
December 14, 2016 at 1:00 pmThank you so much. Also made the Italian wedding cookies. Learned real,quickly you. Must let them cool completely before powdering. They were the best. Merry Christmas .
.
Carrie Pacini
December 28, 2016 at 10:24 amThanks Gina! Merry Christmas to you too :)
Maria
December 12, 2016 at 3:43 pmCan’t wait to make these! Questions about the butter. Salted or unsalted? Cold or room temperature?
Carrie Pacini
December 12, 2016 at 6:38 pmHi Maria, It’s unsalted butter at room temperature. We are making batches this week also for gifts! Happy Baking :)
Joan Luchese
December 6, 2017 at 7:46 pmI have found another recipe that is almost identical to yours but it calls for 3 eggs! Do you really feel that the one egg is the best way to make them?
Carrie Pacini
December 7, 2017 at 5:28 pmHi Joan, I only use 1 egg for this recipe. It is such a great cookie. We are planning our cookie weekend soon as we bake these and the Italian Wedding cookies every Christmas! Best, Carrie