Salento Cookies: a taste of home and childhood memories

09/11/2025

In southern Italy’s Salento region—where olive trees stretch toward the horizon and the sun warms the deep red soil—there’s a scent that feels like home: the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked Salento cookies. More than just pantry sweets, they’re little time capsules of memory, as shared by Cesarina Loreta from Surbo, who proudly carries on this beloved tradition.

“This recipe takes me back to my childhood at my grandmother’s house. She passed it on to me. Once a week, it felt like a holiday in the kitchen—filled with a scent I’ll never forget. Even now, every time I bake them, those memories come rushing back”.

Salento Cookies – Preparation

Salento cookies are simple and rustic—made to last and to sweeten everyday moments. The recipe hasn’t changed: flour, sugar, eggs, olive oil, and the bright aroma of fresh orange juice. The secret? A pinch of baker’s ammonia, just like in the old days, for that crisp, crumbly texture that melts in your mouth. Loreta still makes them just as her nonna taught her: patiently, with floured hands and a heart full of love.

They’re baked twice—first to cook, then to lightly toast—making them perfect for dunking in milk or pairing with a sweet dessert wine. Whether shaped as rings or more playful forms, these cookies are a small but lasting act of Salento love—a recipe to be treasured, savored, and passed down.

Salento Cookies

With their delightful orange aroma, they’re perfect for a sweet break

DifficultyEasy

Preparation time3h

Cooking time40m

€

CostLow

Ingredients

1 kg all-purpose flour
250 g sugar
200–250 g milk
100 g olive oil
1 packet of baking powder
Juice of one orange
50 g baker’s ammonia
3 eggs

Method

Sift the flour into a mound on your work surface, along with the sugar and baking powder; then make a well in the center and add the eggs one at a time.
Start working the dough slowly to combine the ingredients, then gradually add the olive oil, followed by the orange juice. The ingredients should come together smoothly.
Finally, dissolve the baker’s ammonia in a little warm milk and pour it into the dough.
Incorporate everything. Note: you might not need all the milk—adjust based on the consistency of the dough, which should be compact and smooth.
Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, then roll it out to form the cookies: you can shape them into rings or any form you prefer.
Brush the surface with milk and dip in sugar (this step is optional), then place the cookies on a baking tray—close together but not touching—and bake in a static oven at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
Once golden, take them out, let them cool slightly, then place them back on the tray—again spaced apart—and bake for another 10 minutes on ventilated grill mode at 160°C (320°F) to toast them.
Take them out and… enjoy!