Tarallucci w/whole spelt

Anytime I'm sad, making cookies puts me back on my feet. Like yesterday. I was already thinking about spending the rest of the day on the sofa, wrapped up in my blanket...sad that there was no cake or cookies around. Sad, that I had too much cake the day before. Sad, that I told myself I shouldn't be eating any sugar the next day. Sad about a pile of laundry, sad about frizzy hair....

As I was already on the sofa but before I turned the DVD player on, I decided to check on one Italian site, Mulino Bianco. Just reading recipes in Italian can put me in a good mood. Mulino Bianco is a huge Italian company producing cookies, snacks etc. The site gives recipes to make their tasty things at home. A little bit of Italy is always recommended... on any day. 

The cookies are very basic, no vanilla, no lemon zest. Just a sweet, delicate, taste that goes well with strawberry shakes, nutella, vanilla ice cream, ricotta. To give a different bite to your dessert. I have been discovering that by mixing different textures (and tastes), I get more satisfying treats. Just ice cream won't do anymore.

Tarallucci - after my 10 minute research, I didn't find an exact translation. But it's something positive and sounds too nice to translate. There is a proverb  Finire con Tarallucci e Vino, meaning " a happy ending". I finished my day with two tarallucci and champagne.

Recipe adapted from Mulino Bianco
time: 30 min + 4x10 min baking
makes over 100 cookies

ingredients

• 250 g (2 cups) spelt flour
• 250 g (1 2/3 cup) white flour
• 2 (8 g) teaspoons baking powder
• 100 g (7 Tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 200 g (1 cup) sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 pinch salt

1 egg for finishing, whisked lightly

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/355F (fan forced function). Line 3 - 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder and salt.
3. In a bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a whisk attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium/high speed till light, about 5 minutes, scarping sides and bottom regularly. Add eggs, on a the time and honey. Beat for another 5 minutes till foamy. Change attachment to peddle, add flour mix and mix till mass forms, about 2 minutes. 
4. Divide dough in 3-4 parts (depending on how big your roller board is) and using a rolling pin, roll dough till 5 mm (.2 inch) thin. Cover the board with little flour. Flip and turn the dough just 1 - 2 times. If it sticks to the board, a plastic scraper will lift cookies with no problem.
5. Cut out your favorite shapes. I used a little, wooden butter cutter. Throw cookies on a baking sheets randomly. They won't get much bigger. Brush them with a whisked egg and set the sheet in the hot oven for 10 minutes till cookies are deep golden. Remove from the heat, let them cool on a cooling rack. Pronti!