Hello everyone, I am Rosemary and I blog at An Italian in My Kitchen. I have been living in Rome, Italy for the past 20+ years – what an experience that is, I must say. I love sharing the recipes I have learned and created with help from my Italian family and friends.
Now for the Italian pear-filled cookies. These are made with a delicious, easy, and simple cookie dough filled with a slow-cooked pear filling.
I made them on Friday hoping to serve them to my cousins who were visiting from Toronto, and they were gone by Saturday. When an Italian likes something he really likes something.
Autumn is all about harvesting apples and pears, and these yummy flower-shaped cookies are the perfect start to harvest season. Enjoy!
Italian Pear-Filled Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
Description
An easy pastry-like batter with a slow-cooked pear filling makes these extra special. A blend of a cookie and and a tartelette, this is a delicious combination no matter what you call them.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- powdered sugar
For the Filling:
- 2 ripe pears, peeled and diced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- juice from 1/2 lemon
Instructions
For the Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- On a clean, flat surface, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg and yolk, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, and butter. Work the ingredients together quickly to form a soft dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
- While the dough is chilling, add the diced pears, lemon juice, and water to a small saucepan.
- Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pears become soft and the liquid has evaporated. Adjust the heat and stir occasionally, to make sure they don’t turn burn. Remove from heat, add the sugar, and stir to combine well.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, knead a couple of times, and divide in half. Roll out half of the dough to a thickness of about 1/8″.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet with a little space between each.
- Roll out and cut out the remaining dough.
- Place a teaspoonful of filling in the middle of each dough cutout on the baking sheet. Top each with a second piece of dough.
- Use your fingers to pinch the sides of the cookies closed. Dipping fingertips in water helps to seal.
- Bake for approximately 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Baked Goods
Keywords: pear, cookies, Italian
Do you love pears? If so, read Foodal’s guide to selecting, ripening, storing, and preparing these tasty fruits.
And be sure to check out these tasty pear dessert recipes:
- Pear and Honey Phyllo Tarts (Vegan)
- Maple Pear Crostini
- Pear Sorbet with Ginger-Infused Maple Syrup
- Pear Crisp
- Ricotta Pear Stacks
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on March 23rd, 2015. Last updated: October 11, 2022 at 9:19 am.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Rosemary Molloy
Rosemary is a Canadian that escaped the big city of Toronto in 1989 and has been living in Italy since. Immersed in the food culture of the Mediterranean, she now runs her successful food blog, An Italian in My Kitchen.
Hi Rosemary,
I just made these cookies, but I may have done something wrong. I noticed the dough was very crumbly and difficult to work with. Is it 2 cups flour? Didn’t seem enough liquid to flour ratio. I ended up having more dough than filling. What size cookie cutter should I use? You don’t mention it in your instructions. Also, my cookies puffed up as well, should I create vent holes?
The flavour was great, I will try and make them again.
Thank you
Paola
★★★★
Sorry to hear the dough was difficult to work with, but we’re glad you enjoyed these! Hand-mixing usually helps the butter to soften and blend into the mixture, creating a cohesive dough, and chilling helps to reharden the butter before rolling and making the cutouts. Be sure to use large eggs, and you may want to measure your flour using a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement – 2 cups of all-purpose flour weighs 4.25 ounces or 120 grams. The recipe card has been updated for clarity.
I’m sorry I don’t know the exact size of the cookie cutters that Rosemary used. The size should not affect the bake time too much – anything ranging from about 2 to 3 inches across should be fine. Ventilation holes should not be necessary, but you may want to use just a bit less filling next time.
Thank you for the quick reply. I will weigh the flour next time, that could have been the issue. Family enjoyed the cookies.
Paola
Thanks Paola! Enjoy!