Buranelli from the Tomb Raider Cookbook

Buranelli are Venetian butter cookies, commonly shaped like a ring or a backwards S. They make a delightful treat to have with a cup of tea or coffee. This is one of many European recipes in the Tomb Raider Cookbook, and I made a batch of them on a sleepy Sunday afternoon. Lightly sweet, a little salty, buttery, soft and crisp, scented with lemon, need I say more?

Lara Croft visits Venice in Tomb Raider II after her trip to the Great Wall of China, in pursuit of the Seraph, a key that will lead her to the Dagger of X'ian. The first level is set in the canals and you can commander a speed boat to navigate them, with an iconic violin melody playing. You then enter the hideout of the Fiamma Nera cult and an abandoned, dilapidated Opera House in search of the Seraph.

The recipe starts, as ever, with butter and sugar blended together in a stand mixer bowl. Then you add, in stages, egg yolks, vanilla extract, lemon zest, flour and salt before leaving the dough to hydrate in the fridge for 20 minutes. Very gratifying.

Then comes the tedious but aesthetically pleasing part: dividing the dough into 20 cookies, then rolling them into logs. I found this to be a bit of a struggle. The dough kept splitting apart, either because I gave it too little time to hydrate or I was too rough with them. Whatever the reason, I simply formed them back together again as much as I could and made backwards S shapes.

Whatever setbacks I had in forming the Buranelli, they came out deliciously! They were soft, browned on the underside, a little sweet and salty and buttery, and very lovely. If I'm ever in Venice (bucket list!), I'll have to try a locally made Buranelli (or two, or three, or two dozen).

If you want to make this recipe for Buranelli yourself, you can find it in Tomb Raider: The Official Cookbook and Travel Guide.