Maria Bruscino Sanchez Maria Bruscino Sanchez

Pepper Biscuits

Savory snacks always in season.

Pepper Biscuits from Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray

Original headnote from Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray (1992), page 100.

These black pepper biscuits are part of every Italian baker’s recipe box. To be sure they’re crunchy, brush them with oil just before baking.

Recipe Renovation

These are one of my favorite non-sweet snacks. Perfect for pre-meal snacking and as part of a salumi, olive and cheese plate. So many people call these biscuits by different names: frizzelle , tarralle , tarralucci…..they are crispy biscuits with a pop of fennel. 

This variation from my original family recipe uses white wine and extra virgin olive oil. Be sure to roll into thin strips and bake until golden to capture the crunch.

PEPPER BISCUITS

MAKES ABOUT 60

3 eggs

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ( plus additional for brushing the tops)

1 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons fennel seed

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

  2. In a small bowl combine 3 cups of flour and baking powder. Set aside.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, wine, olive oil, salt and pepper until well blended. Add half the flour mixture and fennel seeds and whisk until blended. Stir in the rest of the flour mixture with a wooden spoon.

  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in any additional flour to make a soft, not-sticky dough. Let dough rest on countertop, covered for 15 minutes.

  5. Roll dough into thin pencil size pieces, about 6 inches long. Form into rings, pressing to adhere ends together.

  6. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

  7. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of rings with additional olive oil.

  8. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

  9. Remove from the oven and cool on parchment. Store biscuits at room temperature in a paper bag or cookie tin.

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