Patina Di Natale

Patina di Natale translates roughly to ‘Christmas patina,' that golden glaze that makes these Italian holiday cookies look like edible jewelry on the cookie tray. The egg yolk wash brushed on before baking is what gives them their burnished, lacquered shine.

Pine nuts and lemon zest are the signature pair. Pine nuts bring a soft, buttery resin note that’s nothing like other tree nuts, while the lemon zest cuts through the richness and keeps the cookies from feeling heavy. This is southern Italian baking at its quietest and most elegant.

The dough comes together fast but needs a full hour of chilling. Cold dough rolls out cleanly without sticking, holds cookie-cutter shapes through baking, and develops better flavor as the gluten relaxes.

Roll one quarter at a time and keep the rest in the fridge. Warm dough turns sticky and tears, and you’ll spend the afternoon fighting it instead of cutting cookies.

Pro Tips

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for 2 minutes before chopping. Untoasted pine nuts taste raw.
• Use a microplane for the lemon zest. The fine ribbons disperse evenly into the dough without leaving rubbery strips.
• Brush the egg yolk glaze in thin, even strokes. Thick puddles burn before the cookie bakes through.
• Keep cooled cookies in a tin lined with parchment for up to 2 weeks. They actually improve after a day.

Variations

• Sprinkle coarse sugar on top after the glaze for extra sparkle and crunch.
• Swap pine nuts for finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts if pine nuts are too pricey.
• Add a tablespoon of anise seed for a more traditional southern Italian holiday flavor.