In Italy, biscuits are an easy snack, like everywhere else in the world. But they are also an essential when it comes to consuming breakfast at home. Together with the famous combination of jam croissant and cappuccino, biscuits dipped in caffe latte are the definition of what Italians eat in the morning. In London I had it easy, and especially in the North-East, where the Turkish shops have a marvellous variety of Italian products on their shelves.

Singapore is another story: Italian brands are a rarity here, and especially when it comes to baked and sweet products, Singaporeans are more influenced by many other cultures than the Italian.   So I decided to find the recipe and try to make some Gocciole, a very popular type of biscuits made of crunchy pasta frolla and filled with chocolate chips. Their name, literally meaning “drops”, comes from the chocolate chips themselves, which in Italian are called gocciole di cioccolato, and the shape, strictly tear-like, to resemble a drop.

Ingredients:
100gr Chocolate chips
180gr butter
500gr 00 type flour
200gr sugar
2 eggs
2gr Baking Soda
1 pinch of salt

Step 1 – Mix together the sugar and the butter with the electric whisks, until you reach a creamy mixture.

Step 2 – Add the eggs and keep mixing until they are fully incorporated. Then change the whisks for the hooks and add the flour gradually. Once all the flour had been added, you might find it easier to use your hands, as the dough breaks very easily. Add the baking soda and keep kneading, and finally add the chocolate chips, fresh from the fridge.

Step 3 – Transfer your dough onto a surface and put shape together into a small compact brick. Wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge to firm for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4 – After the 30 minutes, you can either cut the brick into slices and create tiny balls with the dough, then create some tear shapes with your hands;  or you can stretch it with a rolling pin and use a tear drop shaped cookie cutter.

Step 5 – Place the biscuits in the oven tray, layered with baking paper and leave them in the fridge for another 30 minutes. This is so that they keep their shape when they are in the oven.

Step 6 – Once the 30 minutes have passed, place your tear drops in a hot oven and bake for 15 minutes at 180º (or 160º if using a fan oven). Your Gocciole are ready to be dipped in some fresh milk or warm caffe latte. Store them inside a tin box in a dry place and share them only with your loved ones, they are quite precious!