I’m again going to have to start with “When I was a little girl”… I’m sorry, but I do believe that for us bakers and food lovers the best memories always come from deep in the past. So, here goes: when I was a little girl, many desserts, cookies or candies were forbidden, so every time I was allowed to have something sweet my taste buds would go crazy! I remember the local bakery in Rome near my house baking these cookies. There were small and would fit perfectly into a little girl’s hand... Because they are baked in a shape of a flower with a hole in the middle, the game was to eat 10 cookies, one from each finger, and consequently become completely covered in sugar. Ah, my mum was so happy about that!
Canestrelli (“little baskets”) come from the Piedmont and Liguria regions and are similar to ovis mollis but the different ratios give a different texture and flavour. The recipe apparently dates back to the Middle Ages, and has been much appreciated ever since.