Italian Kitchen Secrets: cookies

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12/18/2009

Glass cookies ( Biscotti di vetro).

from lascimmiacruda.info

Hi everyone!

I'm still here, hanging around my blogs: little time to post but I don't want to give up, really!

The pregnancy is going on very well but I still feel sickness even if I passed the first three months: it's a little trouble compared to the happyness of the event but it still could be a big trouble if you manage a kitchen blog. ;)

This recipe is easy as one two three, you just need shortcrust pastry to make cookies, cookie cutters and hard candies, the colours and the flavours you prefer.

Now spread pastry about 1/4 inch and cut the shapes you like.

Inside the shape cut another hole, the same shape but little or rounded, it depends only on your creativity.

Crush hard candies on a chopping board and with candy's crumbles fill the hole in the centre of the cookie.

Cook in preheated oven for about 15 minutes at 345 F°, the crumbles will melt and create a nice "glass" panel inside your cookie.

They're so beautiful you can use them to decorate your Christmas' tree...

They would be nice in heart shaped and red for Valentine's day!

5/17/2009

Icing cookies ( Biscotti glassati) second try.

This is not a recipe post but a "show off" about what I made this week end, taking inspiration from Pam ( http://cookiecrazie.blogspot.com/ ).
I've piped them, unluckly I have only one sac a poche so I can manage just one color at time...It's not so comfortable, next time I'll try to have more material to work with.
It's quite easy once you take confidence with icing but it's a long work!

5/10/2009

Mother's day (Festa della mamma).

I hadn't so much time to go in search of presents and to tell you the truth we're not so involved in this kind of celebrations (quite more an occasion to spend than to celebrate...).
But today we had to go to my grandma's house for lunch so I decided (yesterday at 11 p.m., I should have decided some hours earlier...But I'm a sort of night bird) to make a cake.

Something easy & peasy, just a shell of pastry with egg custard inside but because some pastry remained and I was so excited about my new purchases of food colours and sac a poche pipes I decided to make some heart cookies and two big flower cookies.

I decorated them with pink icing and these on the photos are the results.

Do you like them?

3/30/2009

Giant homemade Oreos ( Biscotti al cioccolato accoppiati)

Oreos are sold in Italy too but not very loved.

I know that abroad, instead, they're really really appreciated, especially in the English-speaking world ( U.K., U.S.A. ...).

This is a funny and easy recipe to have really big kind of Oreo cookies, perfect for children and teen-ager parties but even for unformal meetings with friends maybe for a tv- movie night.

For 4 serves you need:

3 1/2 oz. dark chocolate

6 oz. all purpose flour

1 egg

2 oz. bitter cocoa powder

1 1/2 oz. butter

2 oz. sugar

1 oz. icing sugar

vanilla flavour

a sprinkle of salt

1 cup milk cream

Chop chocolate and let it melt "bagnomaria".

Mix butter with sugar very well then add vanilla flavour, egg and the melted chocolate.

Add then cocoa, flour and a sprinkle of salt; mix again untill you have a smooth dough.

Stretch it with a roll-pin in a layer of about 1/4 inch, if it's stitcky don't add flour but icing sugar.

With a cookie cutter round shaped or a glass cut biscuits in even number.

Put them on a buttered baking tin and cook for about 8 minutes in pre-heated oven at 345°F.

Let them get cold, then whip milk cream with icing sugar, spread whipped cream on a cookie then cover with another.

Put in fridge for at least 2 hours then serve cold.

P.S. If you want to give a spicy touch you can add at the cookie dough a generous sprinkle of red chili pepper powder.

It fits great!

For adults only ;)

2/04/2009

Cappuccino cookies (Biscotti al cappuccino)

I saw I post so many sweet recipes...

It's strange to tell you the truth because I prefer salty dishes: pasta, meat and so on.

But maybe it's because making sweets is so funny!

These biscuits are great in the morning, soaked in a creamy cappuccino.

I love cappuccino so much but a lot more "latte macchiato" ( stained milk): it's very similar to cappuccino but there's more milk and not a whole espresso inside.

Unluckly I'm really sensitive to coffee and it turns my stomach upside down if I drink too much :(

You need:

4 ounces dark chocolate chopped

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grinded coffè

1 teaspoon baking powder

a sprinkle of salt

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, blend together the chocolate and brown sugar until fine.

Mix together the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add half the chocolate mixture and blend at low speed.

Add half the flour mixture and blend.

Repeat blending just until mixed.

Stir in the hazelnuts and mix throughout the dough.

With a roll-pin stretch the dough and cut biscuits of the shapes you prefer.

Bake the cookies for about 25 to 30 minutes or even less or more, it depends on the oven you have: they must results quite dry but of course not burned.

Cool the biscotti completely and then store in a biscuit box or a jar.

12/18/2008

Egg custard (Zabaglione or Zabaione)

Zabaione is a sweet egg custard very tasty, flavoured with Marsala wine.

It's often made douring Christmas holidays, when you spend time with friends and family.

You need:

4 egg yolks1/2 cup

sugar1/2 cup

Marsala wine (or Port or Madeira if you can't find Marsala)

Beat egg yolks until fluffy in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (this kind of cooking is called Bagnomaria).

Add sugar and beat again, then Marsala and beat.

Whisk over simmering water, until the cream thickens but don't let it boil, turn off the fire a little before.

Let the cream cool (room temperature) then serve in glass or glass bowls, decorate with biscuits, fresh fruit or/and whipped cream.

You can also use this cream to fill tarts, cakes or as a sauce for other sweets like Christmas cakes.

10/08/2008

Chocolate salami dessert (Salame al cioccolato)

The shape it's the one of salami, it's served sliced like a salami...But it's not a real salami!^^

Today it's time for a chocolate delight, a sweet dessert easy to prepare, you can even involve children, for their joy!

I remember when I was little and I had the occasion to prepare it with my mum, I always had had a lot of fun!

Ingredients:

3 onces cocoa powder

1/2 once hazelnuts

3 1/2 onces sugar

2 1/2 onces butter

5 onces biscuits (plain ones)

1 egg + 1 yolk

icing sugar

Bake hazelnuts in the oven untill they're toasted (if they're not still), break them in little pieces.

Put biscuits in a plastic bag for food and crush them with a rollpin or something similar: they must be well broken but not completely pulverized.

Keep off the butter from fridge and let it getting soft.

Put in a bowl the egg and the yolk, mix them with sugar untill you have a smooth cream.

Add cocoa powder and butter and mix again very well.

Add hazelnuts and biscuit, mix untill everything is well amalgamated.

Pour the mixture on a big oven paper sheet, give it the shape of a big salami and put in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.

Before serving keep off the paper and powder the dessert with icing sugar, then slice it and make your family and guests happy! ;)

Italian Kitchen Secrets