Befanini are traditional Tuscan Christmas cookies made to celebrate the legend of La Befana. These buttery cut-out cookies have a simple, melt-in-the-mouth pasta frolla base, gently flavoured with rum, vanilla and lemon zest, then decorated with festive sprinkles.
La Befana is an Italian folk figure — a kindly witch who, on the night of January 5th, flies from house to house filling children’s stockings with sweets and leaving coal for those who have been naughty. The Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th closes the festive season in Italy, and Befanini are a classic treat served at this time.
In Tuscany these cookies appear in pasticcerie (bakeries) during the holidays, and families also enjoy making them at home with children. They’re easy to prepare, fun to shape and taste delicious.
The dough is a traditional pasta frolla (buttery sweet shortcrust). This recipe uses lemon zest for brightness, plus vanilla and a splash of dark rum for depth. If you prefer, you can swap orange zest for lemon or omit the rum without affecting texture.
You can use any Christmas cookie cutters — stockings are a playful nod to La Befana, while trees and snowflakes are also lovely choices.
See the recipe below for ingredient notes, step-by-step photos, helpful tips and a short video. For a printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Flour – Italian 00 flour works beautifully, but plain/all-purpose flour is a fine substitute.
- Baking powder – check the expiry date. Old baking powder can give flat results.
- Sugar – caster (superfine) sugar gives the best texture; granulated sugar is an acceptable alternative.
- Unsalted butter – use cold butter straight from the fridge, cubed for easier incorporation.
- Vanilla – vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste both work well. You can use the seeds from a vanilla pod if preferred.
- Lemon zest – use unwaxed fruit since you’re using the rind. Orange zest is a tasty alternative.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cold butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Add the egg, rum, vanilla and lemon zest and pulse again until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out, form it into a disk, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so it firms up.
When chilled, let the dough sit for 5–10 minutes to soften slightly (no longer than 10 minutes). Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to about 1/8 inch (½ cm) thick.
Cut shapes and place them on a lined baking tray. Chill the cut cookies in the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking — this helps prevent spreading. Gather scraps, gently knead into a ball and re-roll to cut more cookies.
Preheat a static (conventional) oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly whisk an egg white and brush it over the tops of the chilled cookies, then add sprinkles.
Bake for about 12 minutes. The cookies should remain pale rather than browned. Allow them to cool on the tray so they firm up before transferring to a rack.
Recipe tips
- Chill the dough twice – chilling first makes the dough manageable to roll; chilling again after cutting prevents shrinking and spreading in the oven.
- Flavour swaps – orange zest can replace lemon, or you can omit the citrus for a plainer buttery flavour.
- Leaving out the rum – if you prefer no alcohol, omit the rum; you don’t need to replace the liquid.
- Storage and freezing – store baked cookies in an airtight container for 5–7 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
More Italian Christmas recipes
Christmas
Ice Cream Stuffed Mini Panettone (Cherry and Chocolate)
Italian Cookies
Italian Butter Cookies (Pasta Frolla Montata)
Italian Cookies
Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Italian Desserts
Panforte – Tuscan Fruit and Nut Cake
If you try these Befanini (Tuscan Christmas Cookies), please rate the recipe and share how they turned out in the comments — feedback is always appreciated.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most recipes include photos, helpful tips and sometimes a video to guide you.
Befanini (Tuscan Christmas Cookies)
By Emily
Equipment
- Christmas cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 2 cups Italian 00 flour (250g) — or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup caster sugar (80g)
- 8.5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed (120g)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
Topping
- 1 egg white
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cold butter in a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs.
- Add the egg, rum, vanilla and lemon zest and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Let the dough sit 5–10 minutes after chilling. Lightly flour a surface and roll to 1/8 inch (½ cm) thickness.
- Cut out cookies and place them on a lined tray. Chill for 30 minutes before baking. Re-roll scraps to cut more cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly whisk an egg white, brush over cookies and add sprinkles. Bake for about 12 minutes; cookies should remain pale.
- Allow cookies to cool on the tray so they firm up before transferring to a rack.
Notes
- Chill twice: refrigerate the dough before rolling and the cut cookies before baking to avoid spreading.
- Flavour swaps: substitute orange zest for lemon or omit citrus if you prefer.
- Alcohol-free: omit rum with no additional liquid required.
- Storage: keep in a sealed container for 5–7 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Yield: number of cookies depends on cutter size and re-rolled scraps.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I typically use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise specified.
- When using canned tomatoes I recommend trusted brands for best flavour.
- All vegetables are assumed medium unless stated otherwise.
- Recipes are developed using a fan (convection) oven unless noted.
Nutrition
Nutrition is an estimate and should be used as a guideline only.