| MANGIA BENE PASTA |
| ITALIAN COOKIES |
| RECIPES |
| Amaretti |
| Lemon Drop Cookies |
| Pignoli Macaroons |
| Chocolate Almond Macaroons |
| Italian Love Knots (Taralli) |
| Cappuccino Drops |
| Sweet Salami Cookies (Salame Dolce) |
| Ugly but Good Cookies (Brutti Ma Buoni) |
| Orange Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies |
| Amaretti |
| (Makes 3 cookies) |
| 1 cup blanched almonds |
| 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar |
| 1 teaspoon flour |
| 2 egg whites |
| 1/3 cup granulated sugar |
| 1/2 teaspoon almond extract |
| Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.. |
| Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them. |
| Grind the almonds with 3 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar to a fine powder in a food processor. |
| Mix the nuts with the remaining confectioners' sugar and flour. Set aside. |
| Beat the egg whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar, until stiff and shiny. |
| Fold the nut mixture and almond extract into the beaten whites until blended. |
| Spoon the cookie mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. |
| Pipe 1-1/2 inch wide mounds onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. |
| Smooth the top of each cookie with a damp finger. |
| Bake 40-45 minutes or until very lightly browned. |
| Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to sit in the oven another 20-30 minutes. |
| Cool on wire racks and store in airtight containers. |
| Lemon Drop Cookies |
| (Makes about 48 cookies) |
| 3 eggs |
| 1/2 cup milk |
| 2 teaspoons lemon extract |
| 1/2 cup sugar |
| 1/2 cup vegetable oil |
| 3 cups flour |
| 2-1/2 tablespoons baking powder |
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. |
| Grease baking sheets. |
| With an electric mixer, combine eggs, milk, extract, sugar, and oil. |
| Add flour and baking powder. Mix just until blended. |
| The dough will be soft and sticky. |
| Using a teaspoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. |
| Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. |
| Bake 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned. |
| Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. |
| Cool completely. |
| Frost with Confectioners' Icing. (recipe below) |
| Confectioners' Icing |
| 6 cups confectioners' sugar |
| 2 teaspoons lemon extract |
| 1/2 cup water |
| Combine all ingredients until smooth. |
| Dip or drizzle tops of cookies with icing. |
| Dry the cookies on a wire rack. |
| Pignoli Macaroons |
| (Makes about 48 cookies) |
| 1-1/2 pounds almond paste |
| 1-1/2 cups sugar |
| 1 cup confectioners' sugar |
| 4 egg whites |
| 2 cups pine nuts |
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. |
| Line baking sheets with parchment paper. |
| Break the almond paste into small pieces |
| With an electric mixer, combine almond paste, both sugars, and egg whites. |
| Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. |
| The dough will be sticky. |
| Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. |
| Roll the balls in the pine nuts, pressing to adhere the nuts. |
| Place the dough 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. |
| Slightly flatten the tops of the cookies. |
| Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. |
| Remove from the oven. |
| Allow cookies to cool completely on the parchment paper. |
| When cool, remove and store in an airtight container. |
| Variation: Chocolate Almond Macaroons |
| Follow the directions for Pignoli Macaroons above. |
| Add 1/2 cup cocoa when you add the sugars. |
| Roll cookies in sliced almonds instead of pine nuts. |
| Italian Love Knots (Taralli) |
| (Makes about 36 cookies) |
| 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 3/4 cup sugar |
| 1/4 cup vegetable oil |
| 4 eggs |
| 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 2-1/2 cups flour, divided |
| 2 teaspoons baking powder |
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. |
| Line baking sheets with parchment paper. |
| With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light. |
| Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. |
| On low speed, add 2 cups flour and baking powder. |
| Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. |
| Knead in remaining 1/2 cup flour. |
| Knead until dough is soft but not sticky. |
| Cover and let rest 15-20 minutes. |
| Break off pieces of dough. |
| Roll into small logs, about 1/2-inch wide x 4-inches long. |
| Twist dough into a loose knot. |
| Place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. |
| Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. |
| Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. |
| Cool completely. |
| Frost with Confectioners' Icing. |
| Cappuccino Drops |
| (Makes about 50 cookies) |
| 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 1-1/4 cup sugar |
| 3 teaspoons instant espresso powder |
| 2 eggs |
| 1 tablespoon Kahlua or other coffee liqueur |
| 2-1/4 cups flour |
| 1 teaspoon cinnamon |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. |
| Grease baking sheets. |
| With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light. |
| Add espresso powder, eggs, and Kahlua. Mix well. |
| On low speed, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. |
| Mix until blended well. |
| Drop dough from teaspoon onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. |
| Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. |
| Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. |
| Cool completely. |
| Sweet Salami Cookies (Salame Dolce) |
| (Makes about 24 cookies) |
| This is a no-bake cookie that has the appearance of a salami when sliced. |
| 1 pound plain butter cookies |
| 1/2 cup sweet cocoa (Ghirardelli) |
| 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (Hershey's) |
| 1-1/4 cups sugar |
| 2/3 cup slivered almonds |
| 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled |
| 3 extra-large egg yolks, slightly beaten * |
| 3-6 tablespoons sweet wine, rum, or orange liqueur |
| Turbinado or confectioners' sugar for garnish |
| Reduce the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor. |
| Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and add the cocoas, sugar, and almonds. |
| Mix the butter with the egg yolks and sir into the cookie mixture. |
| Begin to combine the mixture with your hands. |
| Add the wine or liqueur one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together without crumbling. |
| Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. |
| Shape to form a 12 to 14-inch x 2-inch wide salami-shaped log. |
| Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours. |
| When ready to serve, remove the salami from the refrigerator. |
| Roll it in turbinado or confectioners' sugar. |
| Cut into thick slices and serve cold. |
| *Caution is suggested in consuming raw eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella |
| or other food-borne illness. |
| Ugly but Good Cookies (Brutti Ma Buoni) |
| (Makes about 24 cookies) |
| 1-1/4 pounds almonds or hazelnuts, blanched and toasted * |
| 1/2 pound sugar |
| 6 extra-large egg whites, room temperature |
| 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon |
| 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| Finely chop 3/4 pound of the nuts with 4 tablespoons of the sugar. |
| Chop the remaining nuts very coarsely. |
| Mix all the nuts together. |
| Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. |
| Butter 2 baking sheets. |
| In a bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. |
| Gradually add the remaining sugar, constantly beating the egg whites. |
| Start adding the chopped nuts, a little at a time. |
| Add the cinnamon and vanilla. |
| Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. |
| Mix constantly with a wooden spoon to "dry" the mixture. |
| Drop 2 tablespoons of the batter to form little mounds on the baking sheet. |
| Bake for 45 minutes. |
| Raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. and bake another 40 minutes. |
| The cookies should be golden and crisp when they are done. |
| Remove from oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack. |
| Let them rest for 1/2 hour until completely cooled. |
| The cookies will now be very crisp. |
| Store in an airtight container for several days. |
| * You can also use a combination of these nuts. |
| Orange Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies |
| (Makes about 48 cookies) |
| 2-1/4 cups flour |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 3/4 cup granulated sugar |
| 3/4 cup light brown sugar |
| 2 eggs |
| 2 teaspoons almond extract |
| Grated zest of 2 oranges |
| 1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips |
| 1-1/2 cups shelled whole pistachios, salted or unsalted |
| Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. |
| Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease. |
| Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. |
| With an electric mixer, combine the butter and both sugars. |
| Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. |
| Reduce the speed to low, add the eggs and mix well. |
| Add the extract, zest, and flour mixture. Blend well. |
| Stir in the chocolate chips and pistachios. |
| Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. |
| Leave about 2 inches between the cookies. |
| Bake 10-12 minutes. The centers of the cookies should remain pale. |
| Remove from oven and let cookies rest on sheets for 2 minutes. |
| Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. |
| Store in an airtight container at room temperature. |
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