These delightful Catalan ring-shaped cookies have a fragrant sandy crumb encased in a lemony glaze.
They are known to be utterly melty and are raved about on both sides of the Franco-Spanish border. Although in Spain, rosquillos are fried and in France they are baked.
The ancestor of rousquilles were little aniseed cookie rings made and sold by street vendors in the Pyrenees Mountains, carried around on wooden sticks. It is said that one day, a local pastry chef had the idea to coat them in a lemon glaze, giving birth to this Catalan classic. Rousquilles can be found in most bakeries in the Pyrenees and are enjoyed all throughout the day—even for apéro, with a glass of local Banyuls wine.
MAKES 18 TO 20 COOKIES
¼ cup plus ½ tbsp (100 g) honey
⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp (73 g) sugar
½ cup (113 g) butter, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 lemon, zested
3¼ cups (405 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
2 tsp (10 g) aniseed, ground
2 large eggs
For the Lemon Glaze
2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced
3–4 tbsp (45–60 ml) water
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the honey, sugar, butter, salt and lemon zest, until fluffy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and ground aniseed. Combine with the honey mixture, and stir until crumbly in texture.
Add 1 egg and mix until fully incorporated. Add the second egg and mix until the dough comes together into a rough ball.
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a ¾-inch (2-cm) thickness. Chill for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C, or gas mark 6), with a rack in the middle.
Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface, and cut out 18 to 20 circles, 2½ to 3 inches (6 to 8 cm) in diameter. Cut out a ¾-inch (2-cm) hole in the middle of each circle, using a cookie cutter or apple corer. Carefully line up the rings onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cook for 16 to 18 minutes, until slightly golden.
Transfer the cookies immediately onto a cooling rack, and let them cool to room temperature.
To make the lemon glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly start pouring water, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, mixing continuously and stopping when the glaze is still thick, opaque and just pourable. It should not be too thin or it won’t stay on the cookies.
Place a baking sheet underneath the cooling rack. Dip each cookie into the glaze, and gently place them back onto the cooling rack; you can use two forks or chopsticks to do so.
Let set at room temperature for a minimum of 1 hour.