For the Americans, a cookie is a small biscuit that is more of a bread than a pastry.In Italy,biscotto is "a generic term for small, sweet, dry, crumbly and simply made pastries baked at length in the oven." Surprise your family with the best Christmas cookies and their recipes!
1.Italian Cream Cake-Torta biscotti
Makes 5 servings
1/2 cup butter
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
5 eggs yolks
5 egg whites
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups flour
1 cup coconut
FROSTING:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 box powdered sugar
1/2 cup nuts or coconut optional
Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Add vanilla, buttermilk, baking soda, salt and egg yolks. Beat 5 egg whites until stiff then gently fold into batter. Grease and flour a 9×13 pan. Pour in mix and bake for 30 min. until done. Frost when cooled.
2.Biscuit Mini Focaccia- Focaccine con biscotti
Makes 10 servings
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
Dash pepper
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 (12-ounce) can flaky refrigerated biscuits
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 400°F. In blender container or food processor bowl with metal blade, combine basil, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and oil. Cover; blend until finely chopped, scraping down sides of container, if necessary.
Separate dough into 10 biscuits. On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each biscuit to a 3-inch circle. Make several indentations with fingers in tops of biscuits. Spread about 1 teaspoon basil mixture evenly over each biscuit. Sprinkle each biscuit evenly with 1 teaspoon pine nuts; press gently. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 400°F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm.
2 large size egg whites, no larger
3.Almond cookies
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup pine nuts
3 1/2 cups unblanched whole almonds, grind fine
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice or orange oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325°F; line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Combine grated almond paste, granulated and powdered sugars in a bowl. Beat on low with electric mixer until texture of small crumbs.
Add egg whites,fresh orange juice and vanilla. Beat on high for 3 minutes or until the consistency of a smooth paste.
Add flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Add pine nuts and unblanched whole almonds to a bowl. Drop batter one teaspoon at a time into nuts. With slightly dampened fingertips, quickly lift and flip batter "no-nuts" side down onto cookie sheet.
Bake 14-16 minutes or until light golden.
Gently slide parchment paper off of pans onto wire racks. When cookies are completely cooled, remove from parchment. Store cookies in airtight containers between wax paper
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