Showing posts with label Italian Cookies. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Gluten Free Pizzelles #Recipe by @LibbyKlein

Libby Klein I got myself a new toy. A Pizzelle iron. I've always wanted one but never took the plunge until now. Alton Brown would call this a unitasker. Unitaskers are bad. Then I saw a recipe for [something top secret for a future post] and I was intrigued.

Now that I have this new toy, you may think that Libby will go crazy and post a bunch of recipes using her new pizzelle iron. You would be right! I have at least three planned and that's just off the top of my head. But for today, Let's stick to the old-school Pizzelles. flat, round, Italian cookies. I'm going traditional and flavoring with anise, but you can leave it out if you don't like it. I'm sure I will be a master at this.

Gluten Free Pizzelles

*This requires the use of a pizzelle iron

Ingredients

1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon anise extract or ½ teaspoon anise seeds
1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Melt butter and set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow. Add the melted butter and the extracts. Beat until blended.

Combine the flour and baking powder and whisk together.

Add to the wet ingredients and only mix enough to combine. Fold the rest of the way while scraping the sides of the bowl. Set aside and this batter will thicken while you heat your pizzelle iron.

Drop 2 Tablespoons of batter just slightly north of the center of the pattern.

Press the iron lid down but not too aggressively. You don’t want it squelching out the sides.

Let the cookies bake about 2 minutes. You can peek and check on them and leave them on the iron until they are golden brown. The first ones were too small. Now I can't even get them to be round. I'm having a lot of trouble getting the perfect shape here. Maybe my batter needs to be a little thinner.

Remove them with tongs or a spatula and place on a cooling rack to firm up and get crispy.

I've got lots of shapes. None of them are right. The bottom two look kind of burnt. The picture on the booklet that came with the iron is mocking me. I'm starting to wonder why I even need to make Pizzelles? Can't you buy these in the store! Hopefully, I'll have gotten the hang of it before I make my super top-secret recipe next time.

Have you ever been irritated by a recipe that didn't turn out how you wanted? Let me know in the comments.

Poppy McAllister discovers that gluten-free Halloweens can scare up another case of murder in the latest installment of this delightful culinary B&B mystery series! - Kirkus Reviews

Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during Halloween season. Though her knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be . . .

While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can’t stop squabbling with each other—including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, and an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie—one of them winds up facedown in a plate of tiramisu. And now she has bigger worries than getting her house TP’d . . .

Includes Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her

classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Queen's Cookies for Mother's Day (Biscotti di Regina) + 2 Giveaways from Cleo Coyle

The name of this rustic, Italian cookie is perfect for Mother's day. Biscotti di Regina (Queen's Cookies) are light, sophisticated treats with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. Like coffeehouse biscotti, they are made for the glories of dunking, which is why they're a delicious breakfast treat with coffee and a unique addition to afternoon tea.

Italian families sometimes serve them before or after dinner. They can be eaten as an appetizer with cheese and wine, or added to a dessert tray with fine chocolates, coffee, and sweet liqueurs (like these).

However you enjoy them, these versatile little cookies are fit for a queen...and the queens of our hearts for Mother's Day!

(I always think of these rustic
Italian cookies as tiny bread loaves...)

A Note from Cleo

☕ Our readers may remember these adorable cookies from our 5th Coffeehouse title, DECAFFEINATED CORPSE, a murder mystery surrounding the discovery of the world's first naturally decaffeinated coffee plant.

Click to learn
more or buy.

During the story, our coffeehouse manager Clare serves these cookies at an elegant tasting party for the experimental new coffee. She caters it with her staff on the 26th floor of a New York landmark, where a guest goes over the balcony to the sidewalk below. Did he jump? Or was he pushed? Clare is on the case. As for these "little nibbles," as she calls them, they are a favorite in my Italian-American family.

Just as Clare would, I made my own adaptations to the family recipe. The brown sugar in my ingredient list is not traditional, but I find it adds a nice complexity to the cookie's flavor. Also note that dipping an overly delicate butter cookie into a beverage would crumble it. That's why these are not typical butter cookies! As my family does, I knead the sticky dough with flour. We intentionally develop the gluten, which gives a slightly more biscotti-like crunch.

Don't forget that dunking your "Queen's Cookies" into a breakfast coffee or afternoon glass of tea or wine is part of the Italian gastronomic experience. So take a little Rome into your home, and eat like a queen with my version of Biscotti Di Regina.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

~ Cleo Coyle

🍴

For a free, downloadable
PDF of this recipe that
you can print, save, or
share, CLICK HERE

Click here for the Free Recipe PDF.

☕

Biscotti di Regina

(Queen's Cookies) by Cleo Coyle

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt (or finely ground sea salt)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup white, granulated sugar
¼ cup dark (or light) brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
¾ cup raw or toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Step 1 – Make the dough: First preheat oven to 350° F. and prep a cookie sheet by covering with parchment paper or lightly greasing. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Next add the eggs and vanilla and blend well with an electric mixer. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending into a sticky dough.

Step 2 – Lightly knead the dough: Turn out the dough onto a floured flat surface. With floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is smooth but pliable (like Play-Doh).

Step 3 – Form the logs: Using your hands, break off small pieces of dough. Shape each into a walnut-sized ball about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls lightly between your palms to form little logs about 2-inches long (see my photos below). Once all the logs are formed, move to the next step.

Step 4 – Finish and bake: Place the milk in one bowl, the sesame seeds in another. Roll each log in milk to dampen it all over. Then roll it in the sesame seeds. Take your time and coat each cookie well with the seeds.

TIP: As you see in my video loop below, use one hand for dipping each cookie in milk, and the other for rolling in seeds. Otherwise, you may end up spreading seeds into the milk and getting extra milk into the seed bowl, making a clumpy mess. (Ask me how I know. :))

Place the seeded cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving room between each for rising.

Bake in a 350 F. oven for 20 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack before serving with coffee, tea, or wine. May you dunk with joy!

Click here for the Free Recipe PDF.

☕

Happy Mother's Day!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Alice and Marc in Central Park.

Together we write as Cleo Coyle.

Learn more about us here.
Friend us on facebook here.
Follow us on twitter here.
Visit our online coffeehouse here.

Our NEW Coffeehouse Mystery!

Mystery Pick of the Month! --Library Journal

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM

"A gripping and entertaining mystery"

--Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews

"Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly

🍴

This culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, click here.

Click for the Free Recipe Guide
to Shot in the Dark!

The writing is done. Now let's have fun!

WE HAVE TWO GREAT

GIVEAWAYS OPEN

RIGHT NOW!

Marc and I invite you to leave comments for 2 prize package drawings now running to celebrate the release of our new Coffeehouse Mystery (#17)...

SHOT IN THE DARK

Now a National Mystery Bestseller!

⏰

ENTER OUR COMMENT

GIVEAWAYS AT...

For Giveaway #1:

...and jump to Dru's Book Musings, where you can read our humorous post on what it's like to spend: 24 Hours with Coffeehouse Manager Clare Cosi.

This contest ends May 17.

☕

For Giveaway #2:

...and jump to our guest post on "Our Secrets to Series Longevity," which will also tell you how we came up with the idea for writing Shot in the Dark.
This contest ends May 17.

🌷

Finally, for this coming Mother's Day Weekend, we're brewing up a very special guest post and giveaway. Sign up for our Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter, so you don't miss it! To subscribe right now...

👓

Click the glasses!

Thanks, everyone...

See you at our 2 guest post

giveaways, linked above.

Good luck and good eating!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

How to Make ANGINETTI - Italian Lemon Cookies for Easter by author Cleo Coyle

From Cleo Coyle: In my big Italian family, these light lemony cookies with a sweet glaze often made their appearance during the holidays. With colorful sprinkles added, anginetti make wonderful cookies for Easter. The bright lemon flavor is perfect for welcoming spring, and because the dough can be formed into many traditional shapes, the cookies are fun to make with children. Even the littlest ones will be able to add the colored sprinkles...

FYI - These colorful sprinkles (nonpareils) are what make these cookies especially popular for Italian weddings. And if you've ever been to an Italian wedding, then you know about the cookie table. In my family, those tables were always piled high with homemade specialties from cousins, aunts, mothers, and grandmothers of the bride and groom.

As for the anginetti, the sprinkles evoke the longstanding wedding tradition of giving guests almonds coated with hard-sugar shells as favors. Because almonds have a bittersweet taste, they represent the truth of married life, but the sugarcoating represents the hope that the newlyweds' life will be more sweet than bitter.

May these cookies add
a little sweetness to your life,
and one more note...

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery

series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

A Note from Cleo Coyle

This recipe is very close to one made by my beloved late aunt Mary. I've mentioned Aunt Mary on this blog in other recipe posts. She was born in Italy, and she helped my mother raise me and my sister, Grace.

For years, I was her little assistant cook, and I always think of her with love whenever I make a recipe she taught me.

My beloved aunt,
Mary Capaccio

Buona Pasqua, Aunt Mary,

I miss you and love you!

May you all have a
happy Easter season...

~ Cleo

☕

To download this recipe in a
free PDF document that you
can print, save, or share,

CLICK HERE.

http://www.coffeehousemysteries.com/userfiles/file/Anginetti-Cleo-Coyle.pdf

Click here Cleo's
free recipe PDF.

☕ Cleo Coyle's Anginetti

(Glazed Italian Lemon Cookies)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated from rind, no white pith)

1/8 teaspoon table salt (about two pinches)

3 large eggs (lightly whisked with fork)

1/4 cup whole milk

4 teaspoons baking powder

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Step 1 – Make your dough: Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts, lemon zest, and salt. Add the eggs and beat for a full minute until light and fluffy. Add the milk and baking powder and beat for another 30 seconds. Finally, blend in the flour, but take care not to over-mix at this stage or you will develop the gluten and your cookies will be tough. The dough will be soft and sticky. Be sure to chill the dough at least 1 hour—cold dough is easier to work with. AND use flour-dusted hands when working with the dough. If storing overnight, take out dough, pat into a disc and tightly wrap in plastic.

Step 2 – Bake: Preheat your oven to 350 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon sheets or lightly coat surface with non-stick spray. Use floured hands to work with your sticky dough. Break off pieces and form into one or more of these classic shapes.

For lemon drops, simply roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls.

For love knots, roll pieces of dough between palms to form ropes. Tie the ropes into small knots. Again, be sure to pre-chill the sticky dough and use flour-dusted hands when working with it.

For rings, form the ropes into circles instead and press ends together. If needed, use a drop of water to act as glue.

Bake about 10 to 15 minutes.

NOTE: Do not overcook. The cookies will not brown on top, so look for a light golden browning on the bottoms. See my photo. Baking time of 10 to 15 minutes will vary, depending on your oven. For mine it's 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool before glazing and decorating.

Step 3 – Make the glaze: Into a bowl sift 2 cups powdered sugar. In a separate, small bowl place 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (you should be able to extract this from 1 large lemon). Add 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract and 2 teaspoons water.

Add the lemon juice mixture to the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Fork-whisk until the glaze reaches the consistency you wish. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. If too thick, add a bit more water and blend until smooth.

(See my photos to help you gauge how

the glaze on the cookies should look.)

TO GLAZE COOKIES: Dip the tops of cooled cookies into the glaze, turn once or twice, then lift, letting the extra glaze drip off. Allow the cookies to sit on a rack undisturbed until the glaze sets (about 15 minutes). Sprinkles must be added while the glaze is still wet. Again, allow the glaze to dry before serving.