Crespells
Mallorcan shortcrust biscuits, cut into stars and flowers and baked for Easter — crumbly, lightly citrus-scented, dusted with sugar.
Crespells are the biscuit half of Mallorca's Easter baking. A short, crumbly dough enriched with lard or oil and scented with lemon and cinnamon is rolled out and stamped into stars, hearts and flowers with pastry cutters, baked pale, and dusted with sugar. They are made at home and in bakeries across the island for Setmana Santa (Holy Week), traditionally alongside the filled pastries robiols and the meat pies panades.
How it's served
As a sweet biscuit with coffee, made especially around Easter alongside robiols and panades.
- Origin
- Mallorca
- Etymology
- A Mallorcan word for the stamped-out festival biscuits.
Frequently asked
When are crespells made?
Above all for Setmana Santa (Holy Week / Easter) in Mallorca, when families bake them at home alongside robiols and panades.
What shape are crespells?
Cut with pastry stamps into stars, hearts and flowers, then baked pale and dusted with sugar — the shapes are part of the tradition.
Related terms
- RobiolsRobiols, also spelled rubiols, are small half-moon Mallorcan pastries filled with cottage cheese, jam, or cabell d'àngel and dusted with sugar, traditionally made for Easter.
- EnsaïmadaSpiral-shaped Mallorcan pastry made with pork lard (saïm), dusted with powdered sugar. Plain or filled with cabello de ángel, cream or chocolate.
- Gató d'ametllaMallorcan almond cake: a dense, gluten-free sponge built almost entirely from ground almonds, lemon zest and eggs. Served with almond ice cream.