Crunchy, fragrant, with an unmistakable crescent shape and striped surface, Krumiri are the most famous Piedmontese biscuits in Italy. Companions of regional traditions of the Paste di meliga of the Lady’s Kisses, these biscuits are excellent to accompany coffee, tea and milk, as well as fortified wines and desserts. Their history takes us back to the end of the 19th century and they have to do with King Vittorio Emanuele II. Here is the easy recipe of Krumiri, like the originals: it’s quick and easy!

Preparation

1

To prepare the Krumiri, start by letting the butter, cut into cubes, soften at room temperature in a bowl. Then add the sugar and vanilla extract.

2

on a fork, mix the ingredients well until you get a smooth cream. You can also help yourself more easily with an electric hand mixer.

3

Add the egg and yolks and beat everything with an electric mixer at medium speed.

4

Once the eggs have also blended well with the mixture, add the sifted flour a little at a time, continuing to work with the electric mixer at medium speed. You will get a dense, homogeneous and full-bodied mixture.

5

Prepare the baking sheet with parchment paper or with a special silicone mat. Pour a little mixture at a time into the sac à poche with a star spout and form the Krumiri with their traditional shape: a striped crescent.
Once formed, bake the biscuits in a preheated static oven at 200 ° C for the first 5 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 180 ° C for another 12 minutes. Also check the cooking visually: the surface must be golden, but be careful not to burn them.

6

Once cooked, take the Krumiri out of the oven, let them cool and finally serve.

Accessories

• A large bowl
• Fork
• Electric hand mixer
• Sac à poche with star spout
• Parchment paper (or silicone mat for baking)
• Sieve

Tips and tricks

• Like any self-respecting typical dessert, even Krumiri can only be accompanied by delicious variations. Try them with chocolate chips, or by adding unsweetened cocoa powder (removing the same amount of flour). They are all worth trying!
• The Krumiri dough must be full-bodied, but at the same time soft enough to be handled with a pastry bag. To get the right consistency, we advise you to use the ingredients at room temperature.
• Given the very full-bodied and dense consistency of the dough, we advise against the use of disposable sac à poche that are too light and delicate because they would risk breaking. Instead, use those in canvas or silicone, or plastic syringes for sweets.
• Krumiri biscuits are excellent to be enjoyed at breakfast with a hot cup of milk, tea or coffee, but they can also be served as a dessert after a meal to accompany a glass of liqueur, sweet wine or in combination with eggnog cream or Catalan. A riot of sweetness and delicacy.
• If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can still make these sweets simply With the hands, as it was done in ancient times. Just form some loaves of dough of about 2 cm in diameter, cut them into pieces to be curved and, with the help of the prongs of a fork, recreate the typical lines of Krumiri.

storage

Store the Krumiri in a tin box or airtight container so as not to let them harden too much. Consume them within 5/6 days.

History

Their native homeland is Casale Monferrato, in the province of Alessandria, in the Piedmont region. The paternity is of the pastry chef Domenico Rossi who would have created them in 1878. In the same year the character who inspired them died: the King Vittorio Emanuele II with his characteristic mustache which is thought to be the shape they wanted to reproduce.

The success of Krumiri Rossi was immediately extended and many pastry shops began to reproduce them, but the true original recipe is still today completely secret and jealously guarded. Given the enormous production, Domenico Rossi soon had to legally protect his creation.

But why are they called Krumiri? In reality, there are only hypotheses that circulate regarding the name of these cookies. Between the classic meaning of ‘worker who does not adhere to a strike’, a Tunisian tribe, or the liqueur with which they were often accompanied, the origin of the name is still shrouded in mystery today. Do you know it?