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ITALIAN COOKIES

Recipes

Chocolate and Almond Meringue Cookies

Sardinian Lemon Meringues

Pine Nut Cookies and Cherry Rosettes

Chocolate-Filled Cookies/Baci

Florentines

More Italian Cookie Recipes

Ventetian Layered Cookies

Apricot Bar Cookies

Chocolate and Black Pepper Cookies

Chocolate and Almond Meringue Cookies (makes 3 dozen)

3 egg whites

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

8 ounces coarsely chopped and toasted almonds

8 ounces. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Toast the almonds:

Spread on a baking sheet. Bake in 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Cool and chop.

Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees.

OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop

Beat the egg whites with vinegar and salt until slightly stiff.

Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold in vanilla, nuts, and chocolate.

Oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Drop the mixture by tablespoons about 2-inches apart on prepared sheets.

Bake 45 minutes.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet.

Sardinian Lemon Meringues

7 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

2 cups slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 250-degrees F.

Beat egg whites and salt until slightly stiff.

Gradually add the sugar.

Silpat Cookie Sheet Liner

Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Fold in lemon zest and almonds

Oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Drop the mixture by tablespoons about 2-inches apart on prepared sheets.

Bake 45-60 minutes.  The cookies will dry out but should not brown.

Pine Nut Cookies and Cherry Rosettes (makes 2-1/2 dozen)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can almond paste

2 egg whites

3 ounces pine nuts  (pignoli nuts)

Confectioners suger to dust

Preheat oven to 300-degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

Sift together both sugars, flour, and salt.  Set aside.

Using a fork, break up the almond paste into small pieces.  Put into  a mixing bowl.

Kuhn Rikon 6-in. Cookie Press

Add egg whites and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Fold in flour mixture.

Roll into balls about 1-inch in diameter.  Place 2-inches apart on baking sheets.

Lightly press into rounds 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Press a few nuts into the top of each.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Remove and cool.

Dust with confectioners sugar.

To make into rosettes:

Press dough through a pastry bag or cookie press with a rosette tip.

Omit the pine puts.

Press a candied half cherry into center of each.

Bake as for Pine Nut Cookies.

Chocolate-Filled Kisses/Baci  (makes 2 dozen)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon rum

2 cups flour

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

Professional Nonstick Cookie Sheet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Using an electric mixer, beat together  the butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy.

Beat in the rum.  Stir in the flour until smooth.  Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.

Roll dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter.

Place balls 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake until firm but not brown, 10-12 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Melt the chocolate and butter together.  Stir until smooth.  Cool slightly.

Spread a small amount of the chocolate on the bottom of a cookie.

Place the bottom of another cookie against the chocolate, like a sandwich, and press.

Repeat with remaining cookies.  Cool until filling is set.

Store for up to 1 week.

Florentines  (makes 5 dozen)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted and finely chopped

1/2 pound candied orange peel, finely chopped

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Stir cream and sugar together until well blended.

Alphabet Cookie Cutter Set

Stir in flour, almonds, and orange peel.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto well greased baking sheets.

Flatten cookies with the palm of your hand.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges.

Remove from oven and leave on baking sheets a few minutes to firm.

Melt chocolate.

Turn cookies upside down and spread with chocolate.

Allow to dry until chocolate is firm.

Store in a covered container or refrigerate.

Venitian Layered Cookies

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste  (not marzipan)

1-1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 drops green food coloring

8 drops red food coloring

1 jar (12 ounces) apricot preserves

Toby the Frog Cookie Jar

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Grease three 13x9x2-inch baking sheets.  Line with wax paper; grease paper.

Break up the almond paste in a large bowl with a fork.

Add butter, sugar egg yolks, and almond extract.

Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in flour and salt.

Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form.

Fold into almond mixture.

Remove 1-1/2 cups batter and spread evenly into one of the prepared baking sheets.

Remove another 1-1/2 cups batter and tint with green food coloring.

Spread evenly into second prepared sheet.

Add red food coloring to remaining 1-1/2 cups batter and spread into third sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.

Immediately remove cakes from pans onto wire racks.  Cool thoroughly.

Place green layer on upturned baking sheet.

Heat apricot preserves in a small saucepan and strain.

Spread half the preserves over the green layer to edges.

Place yellow layer on top.

Spread with remaining preserves.

Place red layer, top-side up, on yellow layer.

Cover with plastic wrap.  Weight down with a large wooden cutting board or heavy tray.

Refrigerate overnight.

Melt chocolate.

Trim cake edges even.

Frost top layer with chocolate.  Cut into strips 1-inch wide by 2-inches long.

Apricot Bar Cookies (makes 40)

3-1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

12 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 pound dried apricots

1/2 cup sugar

Anchor Hocking 1-gal. Glass Cookie Jar

1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and confectioners sugar.

Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.

Add the yolks, water, and lemon zest.  Pulse until the mixture comes together.

If the dough seems too dry, add a little more water.

Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Put the apricots in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil

Simmer 20 minutes.  Drain and put the apricots in a food processor.

Add the sugar and puree until smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.  Butter a 15x11-inch baking pan.

Divide the dough in half.  On a floured surface, roll out one piece to 15x11 rectangle.

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.  Stretch the dough to the edges.

Spread the apricot filling over the dough.

Roll out the remaining dough in the same way and place over the apricot filling.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.  Remove the pan to a rack.

Allow the cookies to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners sugar and orange juice together until smooth.

Spread the glaze evenly over the warm crust.

Let dry and then cut into bars.

Chocolate and Black Pepper Cookies  (makes 6-7 dozen)

3-1/4 cups flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Icing:

1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar

3-4 tablespoon milk

11-Piece Graduated Round Cookie Cutter Set

1 teaspoon rum extract

Colored sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.  Grease  cookie sheets.

Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl.

With a pastry blender, work the shortening into the flour until it looks like coarse cornmeal.

Add 1/2 cup milk and nuts.  Blend well.  Add additional milk if dough does not hold together.

Break off 1-inch pieces of dough and roll into balls.

Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until firm.

Let the cookies cool on racks until warm.

Make the icing by combining the confectioners sugar, milk, and rum extract.

Add additional milk if necessary to make a thin frosting.

Dip the tops of the cookies into the icing and dust with colored sprinkles.

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