photo credit: badlyricpolice

There are many traditional Italian cookies, but it is believed that the lovely pizzelles are the oldest.  The name comes from the Italian word pizze for round and flat.  Pizzelles are thin, waffle-type cookies made with a special pizzelle machine.  Long ago, a family would have an iron with their family crest on it that was held over the fire to bake.  How glad they would have been to have a pizzelle machine where you can make one in under a minute.  Today’s machines usually have two different designs for the front and back – usually a floral pattern for the top and a waffle pattern for the bottom.

Every year in the Abruzzo region of Italy, pizzelles are a big part of the “Feast Day of San Domenico” – also known as the “Festival of the snakes”.  The story goes that back around 700 B.C. the area was so infested with snakes that the people banded together and rid the area of the snakes.  When the task was completed they all ate pizzelles at their celebration.

Traditional Italian pizzelles are sometimes referred to as wedding cookies, since the bride and groom would pass them out to the guests at their wedding.  Although this tradition still exists in some areas, you will most often see pizzelles at Easter and Christmas time.

Traditional Italian pizzelles are not overly sweet.  There are many varied recipes, but the anise ones seem to be most favored.  Here is a recipe that will give you lovely pizzelles.  Beat 3 eggs with 3/4 cup fo sugar.  Add 1/2 cup of melted, cooled butter and a tablespoon of vanilla or anise extract.  Sift in 1 3/4 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

That’s all there is to it.  Just place a heaping tablespoon full in the middle of your hot pizzelle machine, close the lid, and in under a minute you will have a gorgeous pizzelle.  I sometimes make chocolate ones that my friends just love.

These are very pretty wrapped in colored plastic wrap with a festive bow – makes a terrific gift!  Maybe you would like to try these traditional Italian cookies this holiday season!   Watch Dede make these on CBS!  Click here! Mangia Bene!

photo credit: Barbara L. Hanson

A traditional Italian celebration occurs every March 19th and it is called St. Joseph’s Day.  It is customary to eat Sfingi – also known as zeppole – on this day.

There are many types of sfingi.  One type is much like fried bits of sweetened bread dough dusted with sugar.  However, the traditional Italian “sfingi di San Giuseppe” is often made with ricotta cheese.  They are delicious served warm, but they can also be cooled and filled with cream or whatever you like.

There is an Italian Festival in Houston, Texas every Fall and they make thousands of sfingi to the delight of all the visitors.  If you would like to learn more about this festival, click here.

One nice thing about cooking sfingi is that if you have your oil hot enough, the little dough puffs will turn themselves over.  All you have to do is take them out when they are golden brown.

To make the traditional Italian sfingi di San Giuseppe, combine 1 pound of ricotta cheese with 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.  Then combine 1/2 cup of flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and fold this into the cheese mixture.  Continue adding a little flour at a time until you have a nice thick batter.

When your oil is at about 375 degrees, drop the dough in by teaspoons and deep fry until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper sack or paper towels.

A fun thing to do with these traditional Italian “doughnuts without holes” is to arrange them all in a pyramid on a platter.  Then drizzle 1/4 cup of honey all over the pyramid and dust with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

There are many recipes for sfingi.  Some call for yeast.  Some have raisins.  They are all wonderful and they may bring back memories of the old potato chip commercial …”Bet you can’t eat just one!”  See the guys making these at a street fair here! Mangia Bene!