Christmas is just around the corner, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without some beautiful shortbread cookies decorated with royal icing :) The shortcrust pastry for these cookies is different from the one I shared with you previously (shortbread cookies); in fact, in this case Christmas Cookies We don’t want the cookie to be crumbly, otherwise it would break while we’re decorating it :) It’s also important to point out a few things: the dough is made with powdered sugar to make the cookie’s surface smoother. Also, butter is the enemy of icing, so let the cookies rest for a few hours (I leave them overnight) with the surface facing down on a paper towel so that all the excess butter is absorbed by the paper towel. I chose Christmas trees that are simple and fun to decorate, but you can choose any shape you like.

Black Pizza While browsing the supermarket shelves, I came across this 7-grain flour for making black bread, and I thought, why not use it to make a delicious pizza? I have to say, it turned out fantastic, to say the least! The package of flour I bought also included 2 packets of dry yeast. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth trying. Here’s my little recipe for you :D

I couldn’t pass up this year’s new treat: Chupa Chups Choco!! They’re super crunchy and chocolatey! But what kind of dessert should we make with these little temptations? Some super-delicious cupcakes :D The best part is that the Chupa Chups Choco aren’t just for decoration—they’re also inside the cupcake :)

Ricotta Cake Ricotta cake is a light, butter- and oil-free breakfast cake—or a wholesome, energy-boosting snack! Try it with my quick and easy recipe.

Trick-or-treat? This American holiday is becoming more and more popular in Italy too, and the treats you can make are truly endless!! :D Today I wanted to share with you these vanilla cookies filled with jam or Nutella, shaped like terrifying pumpkins and skulls. They’re super easy to make, and the kids will love them!!!

Madeleines are soft, shell-shaped French tea cakes. They’re a delight to look at and a treat to eat!

The chocolate tart is the quintessential homemade dessert; when I was little, my mom used to make all kinds of them for me! It’s a healthy and tasty snack, and it’s super easy to make—as I’ll explain in a moment! This time I made it with strawberry jam, but feel free to experiment with other kinds of jam: for example, Dulcis in Forno (link) made it with apricot jam… and the result doesn’t look bad at all!

The** shortbread cookies** I’m sharing with you are a twist on the classic shortbread dough. They’re very quick to make and can be prepared in a food processor instead of a stand mixer. The result is excellent, and best of all, there’s hardly any mess in the kitchen! To decorate these cookies, I used another set of Tescoma cookie cutters—the same ones I’d used for the coconut cookies—because they’re so cute I just couldn’t resist. This time, they’re really cute little animals :)

While browsing through some home goods stores, I came across a wonderful set of cookie cutters from Tescoma featuring the words “Happy Birthday” and “Homemade,” along with designs of a small cup, little hearts, a four-leaf clover, and a smiley face. Since I love cookies, I thought this would be a great way to introduce them :D As usual, I couldn’t resist and had to try them right away. Inside the package, there’s a little recipe booklet that inspired me to make these delicious coconut cookies, though I tweaked a few ingredients and their amounts ;) I hope you like my version of these** coconut cookies**! Let me know :)

Minions Banana Cupcakes With the release of the third Minions movie coming up shortly after my birthday, I decided to celebrate with these delicious banana cupcakes—which the Minions love—decorated with cute little Minions :D