These unusual buttery shortbread cookies are a family favorite.  I have never come across a similar recipe.  What makes them unusual is that they are topped with a thin layer of meringue, rather than having a meringue base.  Then sprinkled with almonds, orange zest, and cinnamon. A delicious flavor combination. Almond, Orange, and Cinnamon Meringue […]

These intense almond flavored cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  They are very easy to make and only require five ingredients. 

Bones of the Dead (Ossi di Morti in Italian) cookies are traditionally served on All Soul’s Day in Sicily.  They are given to children as a treat from departed loved ones.  They are also known as Muscardini.  These cookies are hard and brittle and do resemble bones.  However, I think they look like melted marshmallows. […]

Anginetti, soft, cake-like, Italian cookies are usually lemon or vanilla flavored.  But this basic cookie can be made in a variety of flavors.  I had some canned pumpkin on hand that was slated for a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but I decided not to make it because some of my guests didn’t like pumpkin pie.  […]

The buccellato, also known as cuccidato, is a large pastry wreath filled with a fragrant spiced fig, raisin, and nut filling. Really, it is just a huge cookie as opposed to its smaller version of fig cookies known respectively as buccellati or cuccidati.  It’s a big tradition in Sicily to make these fig-filled sweets at […]

Biscotti means cookie in Italian.  It is a generic term.  I often hear people saying that they made biscotti or they ate biscotti.  They leave me guessing as to what kind of cookie it is.  I have to ask what flavor is it – almond, chocolate, or vanilla?  One common characteristic of “biscotti” is that many of […]

Lady fingers can be a little tricky to make but this recipe for Sicilian lady fingers is super easy.  You don’t have to worry about folding in egg whites and having them come out flat because you didn’t do something right along the way.  These cookies take no more than 20 minutes to throw together.  […]

Easter is a very important holiday in Sicily.  Local churches hold religious processions.  On Easter morning, the streets are lined with crowds of people waiting to witness and celebrate its culmination with celebrations.  In the town of Castelvetrano, where my mother is from, bearers parade statues of the risen Christ and Madonna.  At the finale, the […]

Quaresimali are almond cookies that were traditionally made during Lent (Quaresima).  There are many variations of this recipe but they are usually hard cookies that contain no fat and no egg yolks.  Quaresimali in parts of Northern Italy are alphabet shaped chocolate cookies without nuts.  I make these cookies year-round and add just a little […]

There are two types of Italian taralli; one is a sweet cookie and the other is a rustic savory biscuit.  Taralli are made throughout southern Italy and the recipe variations are numerous.  Depending what area in Italy, they are also served at different times of the year – such as Easter or All Souls Day […]