Ossi dei Morti

Name: Ossi dei Morti
Yield: makes about 2 dozen
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 2 cups confectioners’ sugar; 2 cups flour, plus more if needed; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

December 14, 2011

“Bones of the Dead”—long-lasting cookies that will keep for about a month in an airtight container.They’re easy, sweet, and great with a cup of espresso. Flavor with vanilla, almond, cinnamon, or nothing at all.

Recipe information

Yield
makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 cups flour, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Preparation

Step 1
Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and start the machine slowly; when the sugar has been incorporated, turn up the speed and beat until very light in color, 5 minutes or more. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon if you’re using it and gradually add to the batter, with the machine again working slowly. If the dough is still sticky, add another tablespoon or two of flour. (If your machine stalls, start kneading by hand.) Add the vanilla if you’re using it.
Step 2
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into logs about 1 1/2 inches thick; cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces and place on greased cookie sheets. (If you don’t have enough cookie sheets, just refrigerate the logs and cut the dough the next day.) Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 12 hours.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until they are lightly browned; cool before serving.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.

TagsCookie Dessert Italian European Snack Dairy Free Vegetarian Make Ahead Easy Baking Electric Mixer Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Recipe notes