Shimmering Pink Biscotti Regina Bites

Hello Everyone! Today I wanted to revisit a recipe that I blogged about 

in 2011 - Biscotti Regina. Biscotti Regina are Italian Cookies that are 

usually covered in Sesame Seeds, but I thought they would be much 

prettier covered in Sprinkles!! They are lovely little bites with a hint of 

lemon that have a little crunch when you bite them and then melt in your 

mouth! I adore them!!

These little cookies are extremely light - not like a shortbread bite at all!  

The dough is very easy to work with.  I made a simple icing with

powdered sugar and lemon juice to drizzle over the cookies

then used some pretty pink sprinkles.

Unbaked Cookies

Baked Cookies

To make them with the Sesame Seeds just brush with milk and sprinkle 

the cookies with the seeds before baking. 

Biscotti Regina Ingredients - makes about 35-40 cookies)

8 T  butter softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks 

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 cup milk (can use whole milk or 2%)

zest of 1 lemon

2 cups flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 cup milk for brushing

1/2 cup sugar

For the Icing:

juice of one lemon

Powdered Sugar

*Sprinkles

 Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two large baking sheets.

In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl (can use hand-held beaters or mixer) beat the butter and sugar together. In separate additions, beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, zest and milk.  Slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until the flour is added and the mixture combines into a ball. (It will crawl all over your beaters.) Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to a day. (You may also make this ahead and freeze up to a week.)

Remove dough from the refrigerator and divide into four equal parts. Shake each piece into a ball. Keep other balls of dough in fridge while you work with the first ball. Divide each ball into four smaller balls (about 2 inches each). Roll ball in palm to make an eight inch rope. (If it makes a six inch rope that's fine - you'll just cut 3 cookies instead of 4).  With a knife, cut each rope into 2 inch pieces.  Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes until the cookies just start to brown.  Bake each sheet separately - it allows for more uniform cooking.  Cool on the baking sheet.

Make Lemon Icing: Combine the juice of one lemon with enough sifted powdered sugar to get a drizzling consistency.  Using a fork, drizzle cookies (still on baking sheet) evenly with the icing. Then (if desired) immediately sprinkle with colored sugar sprinkles. The icing will harden in a few minutes.

These keep up to 10 days in an airtight container, but mine didn't last that long!

   Arrange on a pretty plate or place in mini cupcake papers like I did! 

So pretty!!  Enjoy!