At Home Italian Cooking By JoElaine

Italian Almond Cookies by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of almond flour

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1 stick of salted butter, softened

1 tsp of teaspoon vanilla

Process,

1. In a bowl whisk together the flours and set aside. In a standard mixer with a paddle on low speed add the egg yolk, butter and vanilla and mix until combined , then add in the sugar and mix till light and fluffy .

2. On a lightly floured board knead into a compact ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour. Note: add more flour to make the dough the consistency it needs to be .

3. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface roll into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, with your favorite cookie cutter cut out cookies ( I used a medium round cutter and I got 24 cookies).

4. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Do not let the cookies brown. Let cool on cookie sheet, then dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cookies drizzled with Dark Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

3/4 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of unsalted butter , softened

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tsps of vanilla extract

1 cup ricotta cheese , whole milk

1 cup of dark chocolate chips + 1/2 cup

1/2 tsp of olive oil

Process,

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. This way while one batch is cooking your preparing the next batch to go into the oven.

2. Measure the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a bowl . Set aside.

3. In a standard mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla until smooth and well mixed.

4. Add in the ricotta cheese, then gradually add the flour mixture on low speed until mixed. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

5. With a small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned on the bottoms. Let cool completely on a baking rack.

7. Place 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and add 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Heat chocolate 30 seconds at a time till melted stirring each time. Then drizzle chocolate on to your cookies and place on two platter and place it freezer just until the drizzled chocolate harden.

Enjoy!

Koulourakia Cookies recipe made by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn recipe by My Greek Dish

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter

2 cups of sugar , used 1 cup

2 1/2 tsps of baking powder

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

4 medium eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange

7 cups of all-purpose

2 egg yolks and 1 tbsp water for glazing the koulourakia

Process,

1. To prepare this traditional koulourakia recipe, In a bowl of a standard mixer add the sugar and butter and mix for about 10-15 minutes, until the butter is creamy and fluffy.

2. In the meantime warm the milk until lukewarm and remove the pot from the heat. Add the baking powder and whisk until fully dissolved. Set aside.

3. In the butter-sugar mixture, add the eggs one at a time, while mixing, allowing time for each one to be absorbed, before adding another. Pour in the the vanilla extract, the orange zest and the milk & baking powder blend and mix to combine. Add the flour, a little bit at a time, while mixing, until the ingredients are combined and the dough forms and is not to sticky.

4. Cover the dough for the koulourakia with some plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

5. Place the dough for the koulourakia on a clean working surface, take a small piece of dough and form long cords. Shape the koulourakia with your hands, giving them any shape you like. Note: I did a braid design

6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and place the koulourakia, leaving some distance between them as they will rise a lot when baked. For this koulourakia recipe, you will need approx. 2 to 3 large baking trays, depending on the size of the cookies you make.

7. In a small bowl add the egg yolks and 1 tbsp water and whisk with a fork. Brush the top of the koulourakia and bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked and golden brown on the outside .

8. Let the cookies cool and sprinkle powder sugar on top.

Enjoy!

Olive Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans recipe by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Note: your just substituting the butter for olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 cup of olive oil

1 Tbsp of vanilla

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp of salt

1 egg

2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp of baking soda

2 cups of dark chocolate chips

1 cup of pecans , chopped

Process,

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Add the olive oil, vanilla, both sugars and the 1 teaspoon of salt, to your standard mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Mix until you have a smooth consistency.

3. Now mix in the egg. Blend until it's completely smooth again.

4. Add the flour and baking soda to the bowl on low speed and mix well.

5. On low speed add the chocolate chips and pecans.

6. Use your hands to shape the batter into balls, about 1 tablespoons each. Add the shaped balls of dough to the parchment-lined baking sheets .They should have at least 2-inches between them, about a dozen per sheet.

7. Place 1 baking sheet in a preheated oven on the top rack for 10 to 12 minutes . Your looking for a golden brown color. Repeat steps until all the dcookies are cooked.

Note : I like the top rack of the oven so the cookies don't burn on the bottom.

8. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Mom's Italian Wedding Cookies with Pecans by JoElaine (Balsamo)Quinn

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter

3/4 cup of confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of finely ground pecans

4 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of sifted all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of confectioners' sugar for rolling

Process,

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add pecans and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.

3. Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15 20 min. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.

Enjoy!

Homemade Struffoli by JoElaine ( Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsps of sugar

1/4 cup of sweet butter

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Vegetable oll for frying

Colored sprinkles

Honey Glaze

1 1/2 cups of honey

1 Tbsp of lemon juice

1 Tbsps of cinnamon

Process,

1. In a large bowl , combine the flour, sugar , salt ,and baking powder.

2. In a bowl of a standard mixer with a paddle attachment cream together the whole egg , yolk, sugar , butter, and lemon rind .

3. Slowly add your flour and blend thoroughly into a dough , then cover with a cloth and let rest for 2 hours.

4. Cut or pull away the smaller pieces and roll them into cigar shapes. Then Cut into small pieces and roughly roll into small marble sized balls measuring about 1/2 inch.

5. Deep fry in hot oil at 385 degrees until lightly browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

6. In a small saucepan , heat the honey , lemon juice , and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Then let simmer for 1to 2 minutes. Let cooljust till its not runny. Plunge the struffoli into the honey in batches quickly and remove to large plate. Arrange in a pyramid and pour remaining honey on top Sprinkle with colored sprinkles.

Enjoy!