Authentic Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (Guiguileni) and 4 more Classic Cookies

Bring the taste of an Italian bakery to your kitchen with these authentic Italian Sesame Seed Cookies, or as they are known in Sicily Angeletti Guiguileni. Crunchy, simple, slightly sweet with a unique earthy flavor These are the perfect Christmas cookie for dipping in coffee, or an after dinner wine.

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If you grew up in an Italian household, you know the smell of Italian cookies for Christmas, specifically sesame seed cookies, or Angeletti Guiguileni. They aren’t the flashy, frosted sugar or chocolate covered cookies often selected at cookie swaps. They are understatedly delicious, golden, and covered in a thick coat of toasted sesame seeds.

What are Sesame seeds cookies and how do they taste?

Are they truelly authentic?

In this article we will learn how to make authentic Italian Sesame Seed Cookies. How authentic? Once we made this recipe for a school function and an extremely Itlaian mom sought us out to tell us that she had one, and we nailed it. We confessed it wasn’t us, but a recipe passed down through generations that we followed.

What are guiguilenni cookies?

If you are unfamiliar with these classic Italian cookies, one bite will teach you why these cookies are a favorite Italian classic. They are a deliciously simple cookie, similar to a biscotti but manage retain their cookie characteristics. How? They are smaller and not as hard, or crunchy as biscotti because they aren’t baked twice.

These classic Italian cookies are known by many names. In Italy they are often known as Reginelle or Biscotti Regina (“Queen’s Biscuits”). At our Sicilian home they were simply Guiguileni. Originating from Sicily, these nutty, crunchy logs are a staple on Italian Christmas cookie platters, though they are delicious enough to eat year-round. We bake them for Christmas, and will venture to a good Italian bakery the rest of the year to get a fix, longing for the homemade variety.

Unlike soft, cakey cookies, Guiguileni are perfect for longevity and dunking. This allows you to make them a week or two ahead of the holiday and they will remain crunchy and delicious. They have a distinctive nutty flavor from the toasted seeds and a tender, biscuit-like crumb inside that smells faintly of vanilla. Many recioes use butter and anise, our recipe uses crisco, or lard and vanilla for flavor. We tried butter and the texture just isn’t right. Pro tip, the cookies that appear slightly overdone are the best. A darker brown or slightly burnt bottom intensifies the taste adding some complexity and smokiness to the sesame seeds.

If you are looking for a traditional, simple cookie to balance out your holiday baking list, this is the one.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Sesame Seed cookies

• Pantry Staples: You likely have almost everything you need in your kitchen right now (flour, sugar, crisco, eggs, milk, vanilla).
• Not Too Sweet: These are perfect for people who don’t like exotic, sugary desserts. The savory nuttiness of the seeds balances the sugar in the cookie perfectly.
• Perfect for Gifting: Because they are a crisp cookie, they travel very well and stay fresh for weeks, making them the ultimate addition to holiday cookie tins.
• The “Dunkability” Factor: These cookies were born to be dipped in a morning coffee, afternoon espresso or an evening glass of Vin Santo or after dinner wine.
• Long shelf life: These cookies will stay fresh longer than most.
• The “OG” factor: If you are not Italian, your Italian friends will wonder how you recreated this amazing Italian cookie earning you instant credibility

Ingredients You Need

• Sesame Seeds: The star of the show! You’ll need a lot of them. Tip: You don’t need to toast them beforehand; they will toast in the oven while attached to the cookie.
• All-Purpose Flour: The base of the dough.
• Sugar: Granulated white sugar works best here.
• Crisco: we suggest using Crisco, not the unnamed brands. Make sure it is room temperature.
• Eggs: To bind the dough.
• Milk: Used both in the dough.
• Vanilla extract: provides the cookies flavor.
• Baking Powder: To give them a little lift.

How to Make Authentic Guiguileni (Sesame Seed cookies)

1. Make the Dough: mix the dry ingredients together and cut the crisco into the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla, then mix into the dry ingredients. Knead until the dough is smooth, it should be soft but pliable, similar to playdough.
2. Roll the Logs: Pinch off a piece of dough and roll it into a small log or finger shape (about 2 inches long).
3. The Sesame Seed Bath: This is the crucial step. Roll the log in a bowl of raw sesame seeds until it is completely coated. Some people dip the log into milg first, we never find this necessary as the dough should be slightly sticky
4. Bake: Bake until they are a deep golden brown. Don’t pull them out too early! You want the seeds to look toasted and amber-colored for that signature snap and nutty flavor. Make sure to slightly burn a few on the bottom.

Tips for the Perfect Sesame Seed Cookie

• Don’t Skimp on the Seeds: You want a thick coating. the seeds should easily stick, but If the seeds aren’t sticking, your dough might be too dry, or you need to moisten the outside of the dough with a little milk before rolling.
• Watch the Color: The flavor comes from the toasting of the seeds. If they are pale white, the cookie will taste bland. Let them get golden! We highly recommend leaving a few in a mi Ute longer to get slightly burnt on the bottom. Try it and we are confidant you will make more next year.
• Let Them Cool: These cookies crisp up as they cool. They might feel slightly soft right out of the oven, but they will harden into that perfect dipping texture after about 20 minutes. Most cookies are great hot, we find these are best the next day.

Can I Make These Ahead

How Long Will They Remain Fresh?

These are some of the best storage cookies around! Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh and crunchy for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.

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Have you tried making sesame seed cookies before? These cookies are pure nostalgia for me. The smell of roasting sesame seeds instantly takes me back to moms kitchen making Christmas cookies. Let me know in the comments if these remind you of your Nonna’s kitchen!

Looking for more Italian holiday classics? Try more of our Italian cookies like Ricotta Cookies or our double chocolate espresso biscotti!

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  Dottie Biscotti’s new Island-inspired biscotti recipe. Enjoy an island escape in every bite!

  2 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Italian
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  Chocolate Espresso Biscotti

  Difficulty: Easy

  Gooey chocolate and the earthy coffee flavors make these biscotti a holiday treat. However, they are simple enough to prepare, so why limit the enjoyment of these to once a year?

  3 votes 4.7 Cuisine: Italian
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  Ricotta Cookies

  Cooks in 70 minutesDifficulty: Easy

  Ricottta cookies are a soft, simple and delicious cookie perfect for the Christmas holiday.

  3 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Italian

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