Occhi di Bue – Italian Jam-Filled Shortbread Cookies

Italy's answer to the Linzer cookie: a flower of buttery shortbread, a window cut clean through the top, and a pool of fruit jam glowing in the centre. Occhi di bue — "ox eyes."

They come from the Bristot bakery in San Gimignano, Tuscany, where the same artisan craft has been practised since 1957. The shortcrust is worked by hand, fresh jam is spooned into each cookie by hand, and the whole tray leaves the oven under a light snow of powdered sugar.

Crisp, buttery, only lightly sweet — the kind of cookie that vanishes from the plate when guests arrive, and that Italians dunk without apology into morning coffee.

At a glance

• Type: Jam-filled shortbread cookies (pasta frolla)
• Filling: Fresh fruit jam
• Finish: Dusted with powdered sugar
• Method: Dough worked and filled by hand
• Bakery: Bristot, San Gimignano, Tuscany · since 1957
• Format: 200 g tray (7.05 oz)