🎬 You will love these Bisse Italian Cookies. Watch the Cook & Connect with the Rebbetzin Unplugged to find out how fun they are to make.
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These Italian biscotti are likely the most well known of the typical desserts of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice. These are one of my family’s favorite cookies…..crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Their “S” shape makes them perfect for dipping in a glass of cold milk or your favorite hot drink.
They are as easy to make as they are delicious.
One of the best things about these Bisse Italian cookies is that they are made from ingredients which you most likely always have in your kitchen and pantry anyway.
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They are inexpensive and the dough can be made ahead, as it stores very well in the refrigerator for a few days in a tight sealed or well-wrapped container. These cookies do not last long in my house. In fact, I usually have to make a double batch.
Try out this recipe and your friends and family will think you are a biscotti pro!
Bisse Italian Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 3 1/3 Cups Flour
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Prepare the Batter
- Beat the eggs and sugar together until creamy
- Next, add in the olive oil and the zest of one lemon.
- The zest is the yellow. You want to avoid getting any of the pith, the white, in there. It’s bitter. We only want that delicious, fragrant yellow zest.
- The easiest way to do this is with a mandoline.
- Next, add a pinch of salt
- Finally, add the 3 1/3 cups of flour in two parts.
- This makes it easier to fold in the flour and ensures that we don’t have any lumps. Check down at the bottom to make sure all the flour has been incorporated.
- Once mixed, you can put the dough in the fridge for about 1/2 hour to get a more workable consistency, but if you don’t have time, it's not necessary.
Shaping the Cookies
- Now, flour your cooking paper and your fingers with a little bit of flour. And take a large spoonful of the cookie dough and roll it out like a stick, around 8 or 9 inches long (20-23 cm). I like to use the length of my hand as a guide to make uniform sized cookies, with the stick of dough extending a bit past my wrist and the tip of my middle finger.
- You want to work the dough the least possible, because an overworked cookie dough leads to a tough cookie.
- Now, I’ll tell you a trick to get a perfect "S" shape.
- What you want to do is pick up the stick from each end and as you transfer the dough on to your baking sheet, and just before you put it down on the baking sheet, form the "S". Once down, you can adjust the shape a bit if necessary.
- Try to get 2 rows of four cookies on the baking sheet.
- In between batches, stick the dough in the fridge to keep it at a good consistency to work with.
- Bake the cookies for 5 minutes at 425F. (202C)
- Then lower the heat to 350F for around 14 minutes. (175C)
- Cookies continue to bake if left on a hot baking sheet, so as soon as they come out of the oven, you want to carefully slide the baking paper onto a cooling rack.
- Place a new sheet of baking paper on the baking sheet and continue shaping and baking the cookies.
28 Comments
I see you put a lot of effort in.
It is beautiful.
Kol hakavod
Thank you so much, Shoshanna for your beautiful feedback! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Looks good and delicious. Thanks
Hello Rina! You are very welcome. This will become one of your go-to cookie recipes!
Thank you Shachar for this great recipe!! Looks like it’s going to became one of our family’s favourites 💖
Hello Sonia! That sounds wonderful and I hope so 👏. It’s an easy recipe and a fun cookie to dip in your favorite hot drink or an ice cold glass of milk.
Looks amazing and easy. I loved that it is with extra virgine olive oil, so also healthy and quality. Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!
Hello there, Noa! I’m so glad that you like the recipe. I also love using ingredients like extra virgin olive oil for health reasons. Let me know how the recipe goes!
Can’t wait to try it with my children. Have a great week. Hatzlocha
They will love making them with you, Rochel! They are super-easy and fun. Kid’s love shaping them, even into their own initials! Can’t wait to hear how it goes.
I have never gotten a recipe from you that I didn’t a absolutely love!!
This one is so well written and seems easy enough to follow.
Will be making these tasty little treats for a big family get together this coming shabbos.
I have no doubt they will be a hit!!!
Thank you for this blog post and all of the others.
Each one is a winner!!!!
Hello Leah, you are an incredible chef so I am so touched!
I have never gotten a recipe from you that I didn’t a absolutely love!!
This one is so well written and seems easy enough to follow.
Will be making these tasty little treats for a big family get together this coming shabbos.
I have no doubt they will be a hit!!!
Thank you for this blog post and all of the others.
Each one is a winner!!!!
That’s amazing, Leah! Thank you so much for your beautiful feedback. They will definitely be a hit and I am thrilled that you will be trying them out.
Those cookies make me yearn for the warmth of your Italian hospitality
You are too kind, Malki! I hope when things settle down, we will be able to welcome you back. xo
I can smell them all the way here in Monsey please share more delicious recipes
Hi Malki, thanks for the smile and wonderful feedback. I’d be glad to share more! I’ve got lots of great recipes and lifestyle & business articles on the way. What are some of your favorite foods?
That was a great foodtorial. I think e:en I’ll be able to make those cookies for Shabbat! Thank you. Looks yum.
Hello there, Sharon! I’m so glad you enjoyed. Like I mentioned, make a double batch because they won’t last 😉. Enjoy and send me a pic! xo
Delicious! Wonderful to try something new 🙂
Hello Michelle, I’m so glad you like this recipe. It has turned out to be quite a hit! Thanks for being in touch.
The Bisse Italian Cookies turned out beautifully. My family loved them! A perfect accompaniment to morning coffee or tea. I will be adding this recipe to my favorites!
Hi there Kate, I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies and thank you for sharing your family’s excitement about them. I also love them with my morning coffee. I’m so touched that the Bisse cookies will now become part of your favorite recipes. xoxo
Excellent cookies very easy and delicious. I used vanilla instead of the lemon. Next time I will make a double batch. They are almost gone
Hello Alyse! Vanilla was a perfect choice since you were out of lemon. I’m so glad that your family enjoyed the Bisse cookies. Let me know which recipe you try out next! xoxo
I used to go to Italy every summer, and Venezia was always on my must-visit list, no matter what. I love it…my favourite city. I often bought these cookies there. Delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I will definitely try it!! ❤️
Hello Lori! Nice to meet you here and I hope to meet you in Venice someday. It’s my pleasure to share my recipe. It’s a favorite around here. Enjoy and send some Bisse pics! 🙌