La Befana’s Stars cookies
Dolce Italiano (Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen) by Gina De Palma is one of my favourite cookbooks. Over the years, I have made many recipes from this book with great success. One of these recipes is La Befana’s Stars cookies.
I was saddened to read the news that Gina De Palma passed away a few weeks ago from ovarian cancer which she was battling for eight years. Although I never had the opportunity to meet her, I felt a connection to her through her Italian dessert recipes.
La Befana
It is a tradition that on the eve of January 6th La Befana (the Christmas Witch) visits the children of Italy to fill their stockings with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.
“In Italy, the Epiphany marks the official end of the Christmas season, commemorating the day when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts. Every year, the occasion is celebrated with living nativity scenes, a great procession through the city center, and — most exciting for the sweet tooths among us — the arrival of La Befana.” quote from The Legend of La Befana.
To honour this tradition, and as a tribute to Gina De Palma, I made the La Befana’s Stars (befanini) cookies.
La Befana’s Stars Recipe
The recipe is on pages 70-71 in the Dolce Italiano cookbook. They tasted delicious and looked festive with topped with sprinkles. The four dozen cookies were devoured quickly If La Befana came to our house she wouldn’t find any cookies and definitely leave lumps of coal in our stockings.
View the La Befana’s Stars Recipe online.
The first recipe I made from Dolce Italiano was Grappa-Soaked Mini Sponges Cakes. In collaboration with another blogger, we both chose to make this recipe and blog about our experience. I knew then that I would be making more desserts from this cookbook.
Gina de Palma’s contribution to the culinary world will be great missed.
What a lovely tribute! Those cookies look wonderful and it’s such a nice way to celebrate a holiday tradition.