Cipriani Sweet Pastries, Biscotti and Panettone from Harry's Bar
Here you will find Cipriani's sweet pastries: the crispy Biscotti dell'Harry's Bar to go with your espresso and the Italian Christmas classic Panettone, available either hand-wrapped or in a round metal tin. Small pastries, big tradition from Venice.
Cipriani Sweet Pastries brings together the sweet side of the Venetian establishment: butter cookies for coffee and the Italian holiday cake, Panettone. Three products, all originating from the kitchen of Harry's Bar.
The sweet side of Harry's Bar
When thinking of Harry's Bar in Venice, most people immediately think of the Bellini or the pasta, rarely the pastries. Yet sweet cuisine has always been a part of the house, in the form of small butter cookies served with espresso and the classic Christmas cake that can be found on almost every Italian table in December.
Cipriani Sweet Pastries combines both traditions: the Biscotti dell'Harry's Bar for everyday, and the Panettone for the holidays. Two completely different pastries that share one thing in common: few, but high-quality ingredients rather than long ingredient lists.
In Italy, this minimalist approach is often simply called pasticceria casalinga, homemade pastry, as opposed to mass-produced industrial goods. This is exactly the standard Cipriani aims for with both products, the biscotti and the panettone alike.
The house was founded in 1931 by Giuseppe Cipriani in an alleyway near St. Mark's Square in Venice, where guests like Ernest Hemingway soon began to frequent. His son, Arrigo Cipriani, later took over management and once summarized the house philosophy as follows: "Fewer ingredients, better quality." This restraint is still found today in every recipe from the house, including the sweet pastries.
Biscotti and two Panettone variants at a glance
The Biscotti dell'Harry's Bar come in a mint-green 200-gram tin in the typical Cipriani design. These are small, square butter cookies that get a particularly crispy note from the addition of some rice flour, not unlike flat shortbreads. At Harry's Bar itself, they are classically served with an espresso or cappuccino.
For Panettone, Cipriani offers two packaging variants of the same recipe: the hand-wrapped Panettone weighing 1 kilogram, wrapped by hand in the Cipriani design, and the Panettone in a metal tin, also 1 kilogram, in a round tin that vaguely resembles a hatbox and can be reused after consumption.
Both Panettone variants share the same recipe: flour, butter, eggs, raisins, and natural yeast, intentionally without candied fruits, which are standard for many other Panettone producers. Those who do not like candied orange peel or citron will find a more minimalist, classic version here.
5 ingredients for a whole cake; this is a conscious reduction compared to many industrially produced panettones, which feature significantly longer ingredient lists with emulsifiers and flavorings. However, this brevity makes production more demanding, because without additives to mask quality, every single ingredient must be of the highest caliber.
Three products, two occasions: the biscotti for your daily espresso, the panettone, whether hand-wrapped or in a tin, for the Christmas season and as a gift.
The Cipriani company headquarters is still located at San Marco 1323 in Venice, just a few minutes' walk from Harry's Bar. From there, the entire range is coordinated, from pasta and sauces to sweet pastries, always following the same principles of their own unique recipes.
Panettone, the Christmas cake with a long history
Panettone originally comes from Milan, where it has been baked for centuries during the Christmas season—airy, tall, and with a characteristic dome shape. Traditionally, production takes several days, as the dough must rise multiple times with natural yeast before it is baked, a process that gives the cake its particularly fluffy structure.
According to a well-known legend, the name comes from a Milanese baker's apprentice named Toni who, in the 15th century (around 500 years ago), baked a cake for his struggling master using the last ingredients left in the bakery: flour, butter, eggs, and raisins. "Pan de Toni," Toni's bread, evolved over the centuries into today's Panettone. The story is not documented, but it shows that even back then, a few good ingredients were worth more than a long list.
Cipriani intentionally relies on restraint in their version: no candied fruits, no unnecessary additives, just flour, butter, eggs, raisins, and natural yeast in a carefully balanced ratio. Like with the Bellini and the house pasta sauces, this reduction to a few high-quality ingredients runs through the entire Cipriani assortment.
As a drink pairing for Panettone, tea or coffee is classic, but a glass of Prosecco also goes well with it, especially for the New Year. Those who have tried the Bellini from our Cipriani Aperitivo & Drinks collection will appreciate the combination with this moist cake.
A practical tip: To ensure the Panettone stays moist for as long as possible, it is recommended to keep it in the bag until it is ready to be served, rather than unpacking it days in advance. Otherwise, the crust dries out faster than the soft core.
Biscotti dell'Harry's Bar, small but with character
Rice flour is no coincidence in butter cookies: it contains no wheat gluten and therefore makes the dough more crumbly and crisp than pure wheat flour—a trick that many Italian bakeries have been using for generations. In the Biscotti dell'Harry's Bar, this addition provides the characteristic, slightly sandy bite.
Unlike the Panettone, which is in demand primarily in winter as a seasonal holiday cake, the biscotti work all year round. Stocking up on these in your kitchen is worthwhile regardless of the season, whereas the pre-Christmas period is the obvious time to reorder Panettone.
The square, flat shape is reminiscent of classic shortbreads, but differs in taste due to the Italian recipe: pure butter instead of margarine, less sugar, and a more concentrated butter flavor. They are equally suitable for your morning espresso or as a small treat with afternoon coffee.
The 200-gram tin is intentionally kept compact, meant for daily use rather than large-scale storage. Those who frequently host guests for coffee would do well to order two tins at once.
The tin itself also has a practical use beyond consuming the contents: in the mint-green Cipriani design, it can easily be reused for sewing kits, small tools, or as a second cookie jar—a small side effect you only notice once the last biscotti have already been eaten.
Serving and gifting sweet pastries
As a guest gift or a small token of appreciation, the Panettone in the metal tin is particularly well-suited, as the tin itself makes a high-quality impression and can be reused afterward for cookies or trinkets. The hand-wrapped Panettone is a slightly less complicated but equally good alternative for your own table.
A small rule of thumb applies when cutting Panettone: do not cut it into thin slices like a normal cake, but rather into wedges from top to bottom, so the airy structure does not get compressed. A sharp, long knife makes it easier to cut cleanly through the high dome.
Panettone is best served at room temperature, meaning it should be taken out of a cool pantry about 60 minutes before cutting, rather than being served directly from the refrigerator. This allows the aroma of the butter and yeast to unfold much more completely than it would when chilled.
The biscotti, in turn, are great to gift in portions, perhaps together with a pack of coffee or a small selection from our Cipriani Delicatessen collection, to create a little Italian breakfast set.
Those seeing both Panettone variants side-by-side may quickly wonder which is more appropriate. Rule of thumb: If the Panettone is going on a journey, for example as a gift for relatives, the sturdy metal tin protects the delicate cake better against being crushed in a suitcase or bag than the hand-wrapped version.
Cipriani Sweet Pastries for coffee breaks and holidays
Two pastries, one house, one shared standard: few, high-quality ingredients instead of long lists. Whether as a daily accompaniment to espresso or as a festive highlight at the end of the year, both carry the unmistakable signature of Harry's Bar.
Those who want to discover even more from this house can find the complete selection in the Cipriani Food collection, from egg pasta and delicatessen items to the Bellini. And for those looking for a whole world of indulgence beyond Cipriani, you will find what you are looking for in our selection of Italian specialties.
A slice of Panettone, a cup of coffee, a few biscotti on the side: that's all it takes for a little moment of Venice at home.
