Grandmoms Italian Easter Cookies Recipe 45

Steps:

• Melt margarine in saucepan and set aside. In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar together. Add lemon extract, mix. Mix in oil. Then add margarine, mix until well blended. Add baking powder 1 teaspoon at a time mixing real well. Begin adding flour one cup at a time and mix with spoon. Keep adding flour until you think you can handle mixture with hands. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead to form a soft dough. You will have to add flour until the dough is not sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour because cookies will be hard. The 11 cups of flour is an estimate. Keep adding until the cookie dough is not sticky, but not too thick. After you are finishing kneading dough set aside and cover with towel so the dough can rest. Preheat oven to 350°F. Flour cookie sheets. Cut dough into a strip and cut pieces from strip. Roll out with hand and shape into a wreath or braid. Do not play with dough too much when shaping. Bake for 10 minutes. Time will depend on oven. The bottom of the cookie should be light in color. Let cookies cool. ICING: Place confectioner's sugar in bowl and mix with milk. Start with about 3-4 tablespoons of milk, and add until you get the consistency you would like. You will need to judge how much milk to make a nice white icing. Put icing on cookies with pastry brush and sprinkle candies on cookies. I put pieces of wax paper on my kitchen table and ice cookies on the wax paper. Let dry overnight before you put away. If they are not dried completely when you put away in tin can the round candies will run. Cookies are best keep in a tin can. I line the tin can with wax paper.

Steps:

• Preheat a pizzelle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Beat eggs, sugar, and butter together using an electric mixer. Add flour and extracts; beat until combined.
• Spray the inside of iron lightly with cooking spray.
• Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into the center of each pizzelle grid. Close lid and bake until steam stops and cookies are light golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds.
• Peel pizzelle off using a fork and lay flat on a newspaper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm and let sit for 1 minute. Dust the other side. Repeat with remaining batter to make about 30 cookies.

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until totally combined, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and zest and mix to combine, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula then add all of the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until everything is well combined, scraping down the sides again if necessary, making sure not to overmix. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is completely chilled, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a rope, 5 to 6 inches long. Tie it into a loose knot and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. If the knots start to get warm, refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake on the upper and lower racks until the tops of the cookies are dry and set and the bottoms are golden, rotating the baking sheets front to back and switching rack positions, halfway through, about 15 minutes total.
• For the glaze and sprinkles: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoon of the milk in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon milk if needed-the glaze should be the consistency of heavy cream.
• Place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Once the cookies are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the glaze, letting any excess run off, then dip in the sprinkles. Transfer the cookies, glazed-side up, to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.