by: Dina Di Maio

While Italians have many special Christmas foods and traditions, nothing says holidays in an Italian-American household like the start of the cookie baking season. Every nonna, mama, and zia (aunt) has her specialty cookie from a safely guarded recipe written on a crinkled paper worn with time. Cookies colored red and green, powdery balls of nutty goodness, jam-filled sandwiches and more are piled high into Mount Vesuvius-like mounds atop crystal plates and serving trays. These cookie plates sit on any free table space (and there isn’t much) throughout nonna’s house.

The smell of anise, a licorice-like flavoring from the anise plant, fills the air along with the light citrus scents of lemon and orange. There are containers of sticky-sweet red and green cherries and yellow citron, a citrus fruit that is used candied in Italian baked goods; pinoli, or pine nuts; sprinkles of all shapes and sizes; nuts like hazelnuts and walnuts. Powdered sugar shakers sit on the counter next to flour sifters, wooden rolling pins, pizzelle irons and fluted pastry cutters. All the tools of the nonna trade.

Every Italian-American family has its favorite cookies, handed down through generations, from the areas in Italy where it hailed. Italy has 20 regions, and each region has its own nuances and treasured recipes. Like I write in my book Authentic Italian: The Real Story of Italy’s Food and Its People, Italian immigrants came to the United States 100 years ago mostly from Southern Italy, particularly the regions of Campania and Sicily, so the Italian foods we know in this country are predominantly from these areas. However, there are also many Italian families with roots in Calabria, Apulia, Abruzzo and the Northern regions, who all celebrate the holidays with traditional family recipes from their villages.

My family is from the areas of Naples, Benevento and Basilicata, so our traditions reflect that heritage. I have fond memories of making chiacchiere with my grandmother. Chiacchiere are fried bowknot cookies that are popular throughout Italy and are often served for special occasions. They go by many names, includingcenci, galani, bugie, frappe, donzelli, crostoli, or farfellate. In the United States, you will often see them called “wandi,” which I think is“guanti,”or “gloves” in Italian, or they could mean “vanti,” or “boasts,” with the “gu” and “v” pronounced like a “w” in Neapolitan dialect. In Apulia, these are called cartellate and are made into a circular shape and served with a cooked wine syrup called vincotto.

Another must-have in our house are struffoli, the Neapolitan fried dough balls coated with honey. We make these the same day we make bows. They are decorated with sprinkles, candied fruit or pinoli. While both of these cookies keep well, they never last long!

Italian families from Sicily make the cucidati/cuccidati cookies. These have a fig-based filling. The cookies require a lot of work, but with a family effort, the job gets done to everyone’s delight!

Another popular cookie in our family are anginetti. These are round cookies with a glaze usually in lemon, orange or anise flavors.

Calcionetti are fried crescent-shaped sweet ravioli from the Abruzzo region. Also popular from Abruzzo, although found throughout Italy, are pizzelle, thin waffled cookies.

Biscotti and S-shaped cookies are also welcome additions to the cookie tray.

Sesame seed cookies are one of the oldest cookies to come from the Italian peninsula. In fact, they are found in other places along the Mediterranean.

 

Italian Sesame Cookies – Recipe

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 sticks butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 jar sesame seeds (about 2.5 ounces)

milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Sift flour and baking powder. Add to butter mixture. Mix until a dough forms. Roll into balls or finger shapes. Dip in milk and then roll in seeds. If rolling into balls, flatten with palm of your hand or a glass. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400° for about 15 minutes.

Photo of bowknot cookies courtesy of: Webvilla

Photo of struffoli courtesy of: Natalia Aggiato

Photo of biscotti courtesy of: Jonathan Pielmayer

Photo of sesame seed cookies courtesy of: Amin Imanifar

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Dina M. Di Maio is a New York- and Tennessee-licensed lawyer with an MFA in creative writing from NYU. She has written and/or edited for Glamour, Family Circle, Time Out New York, the American Bar Association, and more, on many topics, including food and Italian culture. Visit her blog: http://huntingfortheverybest.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter: @hunting4best