I'm super excited to welcome Lefty and Agatha Award winning author Maria DiRico/Ellen Byron to Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.
MARIA DiIRICO, AKA/ ELLEN BYRON: ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES
In Four Parties and a Funeral, my 4th Catering Hall Mystery, there’s a wedding. But it’s not a big, fat Italian wedding like the ones I grew up attending. It’s a sedate WASP-y affair that forces the Queens crew featured in my series out of their natural element into the strange new world of Connecticut. (There’s also a reality show pilot called The Dons of Ditmars shooting in Astoria, ill-fated destination bachelor and bachelorette parties in New Orleans, and a couple of murders complicating everything. But for now, we’ll stick to the wedding theme.)
These cookies are sort of the Italian version of shortbread. I can’t tell you why they’re considered “wedding cookies.” (Much like I can’t tell you why the meatball soup I grew up eating is called “wedding soup.”) They’re a delicious way to celebrate any occasion – or just enjoy with an espresso. Abbondanza!
ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES
Ingredients
¾ to 1 cup powdered sugar*
¾ t. salt
1 ½ cup blanched almond flour or finely ground nuts (I use slivered unsalted almonds and grind them with a Magic Bullet. But you can use a food processor or blender.)
1 ½ t. vanilla extract**
3 t. almond extract***
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3+ cup powdered sugar for rolling the cookies
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream the butter in a large bowl. Slowly cream in the powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Cream in the ground almonds, then the vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour slowly – ½ cup at a time. The dough will be extremely crumbly. I sometimes use my hands – very clean hands! - to combine it.
Using your hands, take about a tablespoon of dough and form it into a ball or crescent or honestly, whatever shape will hold together. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook 15-20 minutes. You don’t want the cookies to get too brown.
Place the 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Let the cookies cool a little – you want to harden so that they don’t fall apart, but to retain a little heat so the sugar will stick to them - and roll them in the sugar.
Servings: approx. 30 cookies. For more cookies, you can make the balls or crescents smaller. But adjust the cooking time so you don’t burn them.
*I use 1 cup powdered sugar because I like the cookies a little sweeter. But ¾ cup is fine to use and may make the dough a little bit less dry.
**If you’re like me and can’t get enough almond flavor, substitute additional almond extract for the vanilla, so you’re adding 4 ½ teaspoons of almond extract to the dough. If you don’t want almond flavor, only use 4 ½ teaspoons of vanilla.
***You can also substitute anise or do a mix of anise and vanilla for another traditional Italian flavor.
ABOUT FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL
SYNOPSIS: FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL, Catering Hall Mystery #4 (as Maria DiRico)
Agatha Award-winning author Maria DiRico returns with the fourth book in the Catering Hall Mystery Series, starring Mia Carina who is coming to grips with being back in Astoria, Queens, and running her Italian-American family’s catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor but a TV casting call is about to put murder in the spotlight . . . The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . . Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . . Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime. . .
What is your favorite cookie?
Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won multiple Agatha and Lefty awards. Bayou Book Thief, her first Vintage Cookbook, has been nominated for both Agatha and Lefty awards. She also writes the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico. Ellen is an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, plus many shows that quickly and justifiably disappeared. Ellen was the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.
Yummy, and welcome, Ellen/Maria! I make a flat version of these at Christmastime.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Edith! And I bet yours are delicious.
DeleteYum! This recipe is very similar to the almond crescent cookies that I make.
ReplyDeleteLaura Nason
Dlcnason1@msn.com
You can compare the recipes!
DeleteThose look great, I think they'd be a fun one for holidays. My favorite is the simple chocolate chip cookie.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
Honestly, chocolate chip cookies are my hands-down favorite.
DeleteI love Italian wedding cookies! Thanks for the recipe. I'd love to enter the giveaway.:-) veradayauthor-at-gmaildotcom
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and good luck!
DeleteWhat a challenging question - most cookies are delicious. One of my favorites is white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! I also like triple chocolate chunk cookies - chocolate dough with chunks of milk and white chocolate mixed in. Then, totally getting off the chocolate ingredient train, I also like gingerbread cookies!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I love all of those! And now I want ALL of those!
DeleteSound’s yummy. I have made versions of those cookies before, but never one with almond extract, yum. I’ll definitely give this one a try!! Mickeymania1@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this recipe Ellen/Maria. I can't wait to give these a try.
ReplyDeletethanks so much for hosting me, Valerie!
DeleteThese sound like the little ball-shaped cookies we made in junior high home ec! Still love them. Avis
ReplyDeleteraraavis@rocketmail.com
This Italian girl living in Connecticut loves wedding cookies. I didn't realize how easy they are to make. Thanks for the recipe! aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteMy family had a cottage on Bantam Lake in CT for 35 years!
DeleteThe recipe looks yummy, and the book sounds great. I love the cover. Thank you for this chance. areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
DeleteAllergic to tree nuts. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cookie is Ozark Honey Oatmeal Cookies, which includes goodies like ground pecans too. Everyone that eats them wants the recipe. It’s a recipe that was pasted down from my Mom. It was the first recipe that I put in my families “tried and true cookbook” about 35 years ago and it’s still one I make very often. They freeze well and hold up great in shipping. The other good thing about them is that they don’t get stale or hard with time, which is a good thing since it’s just hubby and I now. In fact, I think they get even better.
ReplyDeleteThe ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES recipe makes my mouth water. They sound almost like the ones that an Italian neighbor taught my Mom to make back when Dad was stationed at Fort Ord, CA in the 60’s. Thank you for the memories and recipe!
I’d love the opportunity to read and review HERE COMES THE BODY. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Kay, those Ozark Honey Oatmeal Cookies sound fantastic!
DeleteDelectable cookies. I enjoy eating and making lemon biscuits. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to try to figure out how recipes get their names. Italian Wedding Cookies and Italian Wedding Soup. Hmmm What is it about Italian weddings?
ReplyDeletelibbydodd at comcast dot net
Lol, I ate all of this growing up and had no idea any of it was wedding-related!
DeleteLove the way these melt in your mouth! Give me a tasty oatmeal raisin cookie any day. Thanks for asking! makennedyinaz(at)hotmail(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteLove oatmeal raisin too!
DeleteI like shortbread, buttery oatmeal raisin and my sister’s butter cookies. Hmm, I sense a trend.
ReplyDeleteWskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
LOL, butter is your friend!
DeleteI love chocolate chip cookies! I will add m&ms or nuts to my cookies to spice things up! Your recipe looks so good. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeletejarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Ooh, I like your add-ins!
DeleteWell, I'd have to say that right at this moment--after reading this mouth-watering description--that these Italian wedding cookies are my favorite cookie! (And I sure wish I could have a few to go with my morning coffee today...)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting the Kitchen today, Ellen, and congrats on the new book, which I can't wait to read!
LOL, Leslie! And thanks so much.
DeleteYour cookies are such wonderful treats. Digestive biscuits are my ultimate favorite especially with tea. So scrumptious. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like tea time!
DeleteMy mother made these every Christmas, and we called them Mexican wedding cookies. We added chopped pecans. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteYes! It must be a traditional recipe in many cultures.
DeleteWow I had automatically assumed that they included anise and that is something I just don't care for but a recipe that doesn't include that sounds wonderful to me I love love cookies anything in the desert cart is mine. lol! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. peggy clayton ptclayton2 @aol.com
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting. You can sub in anise - or not, if you don't like it. My nonna made a cookie called pizzelle and to this day my favorite flavor is anise. Reiko sells them in different flavors and that's the only I buy. I think it's truly a flavor only Italians can love!
DeleteLove Mexican Wedding Cookies thank you deborahortega229@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteWelcome Ellen/Maria!!!! How wonderful of you to share this recipe with us...my wife and I had been trying to make the best shortbread cookies that resemble these Italian Wedding Cookies that I was used to enjoying when I was growing up in my native Chile. These were very popular among my Italian family, and I liked the ones that we made in my home better than those that my aunts made (of course, we did not say anything, or we would not be able to have cookies the next time). Your recipe is perfect. I have printed it, and we will make them this afternoon. Thank you for your brilliant writing, and for all the hours of fun you give us readers!!!! Mille Grazie!!!! luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I hope you enjoy them!
DeleteWelcome, Ellen! So glad you are here and sharing your cookie recipe!
ReplyDeletethanks so much, Tina!
DeleteMy favorite cookie is one similar to your Italian Wedding Cookie. It uses powered sugar and no eggs and we usually made it at Christmas with walnuts and roll them in colored sugar. It was one of my Mom's favorite recipes. I loved your Cajun Mysteries and I'm looking forward to reading your catering Mysteries.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail)dot(com)
Thanks so much, Dianne!
DeleteThanks for the chance! We love Italian Wedding Cookies and have made them with hazelnut flour #cozymystery #cozyreads #authorswhocook #bookgiveaway #bookstagram #weddingcookies #shortbreadcookies
ReplyDeleteMargaret, what a great idea!
Deletewelcome today. thanks for sharing your cookie recipe. oh but these sound so yummy. my favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteI love a good oatmeal cookie.
DeleteThese cookies look delicious and very similar to the snowball cookies my mom made at Christmas. My husband isn't Italian but he loves anise so I will have to make him these with anise. I love chocolate so chocolate chip cookies or No-bakes are my faves. It was fun to see you on the Beachbum Bookworm earlier today. You are always so entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI want to make them with anise too, Sue!
DeleteMy favorite cookies are Angel Wings, they are a kind of sugar cookie. zweigenbaum@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteAngel Wings. Interesting. We used to buy an Italian cookie called Amaretto di Saronno. The paper each is wrapped in was called angel wings. If you put a match to it the right way, it would fly!
DeleteMy favorite kind of cookies are Angel Wings, they are a kind of sugar cookie. Zweigenbaum@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cookie is Peanut Butter Blossom. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteJess
maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com
They sound delicious!
DeleteThey remind me of some of the cookies we bought at the Italian bakery in Manhattan. Rainonlois@aol.com. Lois
ReplyDeleteYes! That's where you'd find them.
DeleteI like chocolate chocolate chip cookies with nuts! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love chocolate chip cookies, but my favorites are the cut out sugar cookies we make each year at Christmas. My kids still decorate them (ages 30, 27) and they always have a ton of powdered sugar icing on them. dianegarland@mac.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the recipe, sounds good! tWarner419@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI really like how easy the recipe is and that I have all of the ingredients already in the pantry. I don't have the espresso but I bet they go just as well with dark coffee. Thank you for sharing the recipe and the giveaway. tracy.condie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThey look delicious! The book sounds interesting and fun to read Donakutska7@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this yummy looking wedding cookies! The name already sounded festive! If I go to San Francisco, I have to stop by at one of the bakeries to buy at least a dozen of these they so call "snowball cookies"! I must try this recipe!
ReplyDeletecwkuen(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love wedding cookies! fabrichollow@gmail.com
ReplyDelete