Recipies for the Feast of the Dead
Bones of the Dead
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder,
and ground cloves. Add beaten eggs and almond extract; mix well.
- Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls and place firmly on a well
greased cookie sheet. Cover cookies with a tea towel and let stand
over night. Cookies will rise and spread.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake cookies
for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Ossa dei Morti - Piemonte, Bones of the Dead Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 4 oz hazelnuts
- 4 oz almonds
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 egg whites
- The juice of a lemon
- Butter for greasing the cookie sheet
- Flour for the cookie sheet
Begin with a large bowl: combine the flour, egg whites, sugar, and
lemon juice. Work in the nuts, leaving them whole, and continue
kneading until you have a fairly firm dough.
Roll the ball of dough out with your hands on your work surface so
as to obtain a snake; cut the snake into half-inch thick slices and
shape the bit into bones with your hands.
Preheat your oven to 360°. Butter your cookie sheet, dust it with
flour, lay the bones on it, and bake them for about 20 minutes. Let
them cool before serving them.
Ossa dei Morti - Lombardia, Bones of the Dead Cookies
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 10 oz almonds
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 oz pine nuts
- An egg and a white
- 1 tablespoon butter
- A shot glass of grappa or brandy
- The grated zest of half a lemon
- Powdered cinnamon
Blanch the almonds, peel them, and chop them finely (it's easiest to
do this by giving them short bursts in a blender -- don't liquefy
them or they'll five off their oil).
Combine all the ingredients except the egg in a bowl, mixing them
with a spoon until you have a firm dough (this will take a while).
Dust your hands and your work surface with flour, and roll the dough
out between your palms to obtain a snake that's about a half inch
thick. Cut it into inch-thick pieces shape them into fava bean
shapes, grease and flour a cookie sheet, and set the beans on it.
Lightly beat the eggs, brush the surfaces of the beans, and bake
them in a 330-350 oven for about 20 minutes. Serve them cold.
Ossa dei Morti Biscotti - Bones of the Dead Men Cookies
These Italian cookies are traditional for for All Souls Day, but
make a great Halloween treat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound slivered almonds
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbs butter, room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- flour and butter for the cookie sheet
Directions
- Mix all the ingredients together, except the egg yolk.
- If you need to add moisture a small amount of liqueur or
Marsala wine works well. Don't use Amaretto.
- Pinch off small pieces, the size of a fava or lima bean.
Form them into bean shapes and place on a greased and floured cookie
sheet.
- Lightly whisk the egg yolk. Brush the cookies with the egg
yolk.
- Cook at 350F for 15 minutes.
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