Crumiri Cookies, Not for Wimps

 

Why, you ask are these cookies not for wimps? Because they will build up your muscle trying to squeeze them through the open star tip on your pastry bag and maybe even have you saying a choice explicative or two as well. Yet, they really are a buttery corn meal "stick" and a delicious cappuccino dunker that hails from the Casale Monferrato region of Piedmont and worth the muscle building.

 

Domenico Rossi invented them around 1870 and named them after a popular drink at that time called Khrumiro. According to the Krumiri Rossi web site, when the king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II died the biscotti's characteristic bend of the coookie was most likely introduced as a tribute to the king and his famous handlebar moustache. Later they patented the name and cookie. Perhaps the patent is why they are generally referred to as Crumiri by the rest of us. Anyway, what ever the name, they are quite tasty and worth adding to your cookie basket.  You will find them all over Turin in many of the pastry shops and they make their way on to the long line of biscotti on the grocery shelves as well. Making them is a great option if you don't have them readily available to you. I took the liberty to have my way with them and turned them into a small candy cane type shape for getting into the holiday spirit and you can to, but normally they are long sticks and bent mid way for an authentic shape. They are cooked until quite golden brown. I went a tad lighter as I love the contrast of the two colors, but going a bit further when you bake them yourself is quite acceptable and encouraged. Do give them a try and do enjoy them at other times of the year than the holidays as they are really worth the effort.

 

Crumiri Biscotti

Yeilds about 4 dozen small or less larger ones

Ingredients

280 g butter, room temperature ( 1 1/4 cup)

160 g sugar, caster or granulated (3/4 cup)

4 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

280 g corn meal(1 1/2 cup)

200 g pastry or all purpose flour (2 cup)

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together, with a whisk by hand  or with a paddle on a stand mixer.

Add the 4 egg yolks and blend well.

Mix in the vanilla.

Mix the corn and pastry flour together, blnding well.

Add the mixed flours in to the butter mixture, just to fully incorporate.

Fit a medium/large open star pastry tip into a pastry bag.

Take half of your mixture and place it into your bag.

Pipe out on to a papered sheet tray or greased and floured tray.

Repeat with the other half of the batch.

The dough will be firm so take your time and squeeze it out

with steady pressure.

For traditional shape

Pipe out long 4 inch lengths

Bend the cookies in the middle to look like a <

Or pipe in the shape of a 9 or a cane.

Bake in a moderate oven 325* for about 12-14 minutes.

Cool completely before storing.

 

2013 January update.

Here's another version I found that purports to be close to the secret original recipe.  I need to finish the ones languishing in my Krumiri tin before trying this one out. 

Secret Original Krumiri knock off recipe (allegedly)

Ingredients:
butter 210 g 

sugar 120 g 

vanilla
3 egg yolks
salt 

white flour 150 g corn flour 210 g

Mix the flour corn, flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, a pinch of salt and vanilla. 

Let stand before piping out.