Amici Italiani

Those of you who are Italian got to enjoy Italian Christmas cookies of all description. I remember going to my Aunt Lidia's house around Christmas where she cooked herself evey type of cookie under the sun. But I can't remember what they're called. Maybe you can. Even those of you who are not paisan may have enjoyed them also. Help me remember.

I for one remember my grandmother making what we knew as Pizzelles, which were very very thin cookies with powdered sugar on them.





We still make what's known a Strufolis.





And of course there are the Italian Bow Tie cookies.

Gosh, my grandmother use to make so many different kinds of cookies. I'm sorry to say I don't remember the names of them. One that my sister still makes is 3 different colors, frosted and usually candied sprinkles.

Always at weddings, we'd have a few trays of these cookies. It was a must at any Italian wedding. I remember ones that were seeded on top and a few had the anise flavor,and one vanilla flavored that always had a cherry on top.

DC, a couple people at work bring pizelles to work every Christmas. I love them. I'm thinking perhaps different Italian families have different selections of sweets, because I don't remember either of my grandparents, nor my mother making pizelles, but I really like them.

TIS

My daughter and her father's side of her family make the Bow Tie cookies every year. I helped a couple times. Of course, my only contribution is sprinkling the sugar on them. They're a pain in the rear to make. The oil has to be so hot, and you can't keep them in the oil too long or they'll break. It takes about 4 hours to make them, and about 4 minutes to eat them all.

They are similar to the way that you roll Gnocchis. Perhaps if you had a bastard cousin to make them with, you'd enjoy making them.

I remember pizelles the most. My parents used to send me a bunch they made when I was overseas. All the ones you guys mentioned I remember too.

Some of my cousins are bastards, but not in a good way.

Yea, they don't make bastard cousins like they use to anymore do they?

TIS

Ladies, this thread is about Christmas cookies!

I am so craving a glass of milk for the above.

My friend's grandmother used to make home-made cookies at Christmas. I don't know what they were called but they were roughly the size of ping pong balls and had ricotta cheese and lemon. Delicious stuff!

Madonne! Si buono!

Did they look like these SC :

Thats them!! They had a sweet icing! What are they called?

Biscotti di Ricotta

My mother in law makes them along with Pepper Cookies. They look similar in shape and size but they are made with chocolate dough and I guess pepper. They do have a little bite. They go good with beer. Sorry no picture.

My grandmother used to make cookies like those, but no ricotta. Just lemon, and that sweet glaze on them. and they were like knots. Those were my favorite.

My mother-in-law would bake a ton of cookies around Christmas that she would give out to customers at her restaurant. Thety included the ricotta cheese cookies, which I like, and brown spice cookies and anise flavored cookies that I don't care for. My favorites were cookies filled with apricot or dates.