When I first saw these cookies, I thought they were called stracciatella. As it turns out, that’s the name of the blog they’re on; the word stacciatella actually refers to three different foods in Italy: an egg drop soup, a kind of gelato that’s similar to chocolate chip ice cream, and a kind of cheese, not these lovely little Easter cookies. Stracciatella means little shred, and is incredibly similar to the last name of one of my best friends ever, Kate.
Kate and I met in the back row of geometry class in the tenth grade, where neither of us had a clue what was going on. We’re both better with words than numbers, and how either one of us squeaked out of that class with a passing grade is one of life’s great mysteries. Our suffering created a bond though; since that fateful meeting in geometry, we’ve shared countless laughs, adventures, challenges, and desserts. We’re still friends to this day; in fact, Kate was among our guests at this past Monday’s Passover seder.
So, on this Easter Sunday, I give tribute to Kate, and her awesome Italian last name…even if these aren’t really called stracciatella, that’s probably what I’ll always call them. Buona Pasqua!
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 3/4 cup flour
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
For the frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- colored sprinkles
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl frequently.
Add almond and vanilla extracts, milk, and vegetable oil and beat until well-combined.
Add flour mixture and beat until a soft dough forms.
Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll them into balls, then ropes, and form into rings. Place about 1 inch apart on the prepare baking sheets and bake for 8 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, then 8 minutes on the top rack; the bottoms will be golden brown when they are done.
Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in frosting.
To make frosting, combine butter, powdered sugar, and almond and vanilla extracts and beat on low, then medium speed, to combine. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to reach a slightly drizzly consistency; you don’t want the frosting to be too thick or thin, just thin enough to dip the cookies.
Dip the top of each cookie into the frosting and set on a wire rack, then sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 