Copulettas
Description
Among the most delicious desserts of Sardinia, copulettas hold a special place, especially because they are made for celebrations like weddings and baptisms, particularly in the Oristano area.
These traditional Sardinian sweets owe their deliciousness to a rich filling made of almonds and lemon zest, wrapped in a crispy dough that in the traditional recipe uses lard, but we suggest preparing it with butter.
To make them even more beautiful and delicious, tradition calls for them to be covered with a snowy white glaze, which you can easily make by mixing powdered sugar with egg whites, as explained in our recipe. Ready to get started?
Ingredients
to recalculate the ingredient amounts
For the pastry
- Flour 500 g
- Arborea butter 120 g
- Lukewarm water q.b.
- Salt 12 g
For the filling
- Peeled sweet almonds, toasted and chopped 400 g
- Granulated sugar 400 g
- Egg whites 3
- Lemons 2
- Vanilla pod 1
For the frosting
- Egg whites 80 g
- Icing sugar 300 g
For the decoration
- Sprinkles 150 g
Instructions
- 1 To make the copulettas, start with the dough: work the flour with the butter, adding a little warm water and salt, until you get a dense and smooth mixture. Then, let it rest in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for 1 hour.
- 2 Next, focus on the filling: start by whipping the egg whites, and as they begin to turn white, gradually add the sugar. Continue whipping until you get a firm, glossy meringue. Then, add the grated lemon zest, vanilla pulp, and chopped almonds, and let the mixture rest.
- 3 Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it’s fairly thin. Using a flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out several discs about 8 cm in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each disc.
- 4 Fold each disc by placing another on top, then decorate each petal by gently pressing with a toothpick. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 120°C (248°F) for 20 minutes.
- 5 Take them out of the oven and let them cool. Then prepare the glaze: beat the egg whites, gradually adding powdered sugar until you get a white, glossy icing. Brush the glaze over the surface of the copulettas and decorate them with silver dragées.
Share this recipe
Did You Know?
In the past, copulettas were especially considered the quintessential wedding sweets.
It is a delicious traditional Sardinian pastry that still today distinguishes the culinary heritage of Ozieri.
The copuletta is a tasty dessert made of a thin shell composed of water, flour, and lard or butter, which encloses a soft filling. The filling is prepared with eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and chopped almonds. The mixture is then topped with a crisp sugar glaze, liqueurs, and egg white.
Copulette have several regional variations. For example, in Ittiri they are made with a filling of almonds, honey, sapa (grape must), and orange zest, while in Cagliari they are known as
Pastissus
.
In Campidano, they are called Pastine Reali or Pastine della Sposa, while in Oristano they are known as Capigliettas.
Although the recipe is similar, it varies depending on the region: for example, sometimes a single dough sheet is used to hold the filling, forming a sort of pouch, while in other cases two sheets are used to enclose it, like with ravioli or stuffed pasta.
Arborea menus
With our menus, we bring Sardinia to the table, dish by dish.
Come and discover the most traditional recipes of our homeland, Sardinia. We’ve prepared some simple menus for every day and some more elaborate ones for special occasions.
