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Sicilian sesame biscuits, known as reginelle or biscotti regina, are a traditional Sicilian speciality, particularly popular in and around Palermo. They\u2019re made with a simple dough of flour, sugar, eggs and fat, often a combination of butter and lard. The biscuits are mildly sweet, crisp on the outside and firm with a slightly crunchy bite. What makes them distinctive is their generous coating of sesame seeds, which gives them a lovely nutty flavour and plenty of crunch. You\u2019ll find them in bakeries and pastry shops across Sicily, where they\u2019re enjoyed with a morning or afternoon coffee or served alongside a glass of dessert wine. They\u2019re well worth trying!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Makes 30-35 biscuits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients for Sicilian sesame biscuits:<\/span><\/p>\n

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• 250 g plain flour<\/li>\n
• 50 g butter, cold<\/li>\n
• 50 g lard, cold*<\/li>\n
• 1 large egg<\/li>\n
• 100 g caster sugar<\/li>\n
• 1 tsp vanilla extract<\/li>\n
• 1 tsp baking powder<\/li>\n
• finely grated zest of \u00bd unwaxed lemon or orange<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Additionally:<\/span><\/p>\n

  \n
  • 150 g sesame seeds, for coating<\/li>\n
  • a small bowl of water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, stirring frequently, then set aside to cool.<\/p>\n

    Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and lard, then quickly chop them into the flour with a knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder and lemon zest. Quickly bring everything together into a dough (you can also use a food processor). Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

    Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into several portions. Roll each portion into a log about 2 cm thick, then cut into pieces approximately 6 cm long. Dip each piece in water, then coat thoroughly in sesame seeds, making sure the entire surface is covered.<\/p>\n

    Arrange the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a little space between them. Bake at 180\u00b0C (fan setting) for approximately 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.<\/p>\n

    *Traditional Sicilian reginelle are often made with lard, which gives them their characteristic crisp texture. Butter provides a more delicate flavour, so combining the two fats in equal proportions works particularly well.<\/p>\n

    Enjoy!<\/p>\n

    <\/figure>\n

    Recipe adapted from – madonnadelpiatto.com,<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sicilian sesame biscuits, known as reginelle or biscotti regina, are a traditional Sicilian speciality, particularly popular in and around Palermo. They\u2019re made with a simple dough of flour, sugar, eggs and fat, often a combination of butter and lard. The biscuits are mildly sweet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,79],"tags":[94,124,448],"duration":[],"tag_group":[],"class_list":["post-20022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cookies-biscuits","category-from-all-over-the-world","tag-lemon-lime","tag-orange-mandarine","tag-sesame-seeds"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n