Valentine’s celebrations were always special in my family because it is also my dad’s birthday.  Having his birthday on Valentine’s Day must be what made him so sweet! Or maybe it was all those cookies of his mom’s that he got to eat growing up!

My grandparents, Steve & Mary with my dad, Neil, circa 1942.

Nona was an awesome cook but she didn’t do much baking.  One of the few sweets she made was Italian cookies.  And she made them by the hundreds!  Whenever we made the 2-hour trip to visit my grandparents, there would be a platter of Italian cookies  on the table for us to eat.  With a large, close, extended Italian family, there were always relatives stopping over to my grandparents house when we were visiting. There was always a platter of cookies for them to take home, no matter how many relatives stopped over.  And one for us to take when we left.  I’m not at all sure how my grandmother did so much cooking and baking when she worked full time all her life and cleaned her house thoroughly from top to bottom every week, but she did.  She was truly an amazing woman!

Nona’s original Italian cookie recipe called for a DOZEN eggs!  I’ve scaled it down to a more manageable size since I am not feeding the hordes of people that she did.

Nona’s Italian Cookies

• 

  Nona never measured out ingredients. She could tell by touch & sight if the dough was the right consistency.

  Dough:

• 4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons anise extract (or lemon, orange, almond or vanilla extract)
• Glaze:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons milk

Mix the sugar, oil, eggs and flavoring together until it is well blended.  Add the baking powder then the flour, alternating the flour with the milk to make a soft dough.  It will be very sticky.

This is a very sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled pastry board.  Cut off a small section of dough and roll it into a rope, about a finger’s width thick.

Each piece should be about a finger’s width and length.

Cut the rope into 3″ sections (about a finger’s length) and twist each section into a braid.

Place the braids on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake them at 350° for 10-15 minutes. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack.

When they are completely cooled, dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and shake sprinkles on them.  Allow the icing to harden before storing them in an airtight container.

Happy Valentine’s Birthday, Dad!   ~Linda

Nona’s Italian Cookies

• Dough:
• 4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons anise extract (or lemon, orange, almond or vanilla extract)

• Glaze:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons milk

Mix the sugar, oil, eggs and flavoring together until it is well blended.  Add the baking powder then the flour, alternating the flour with the milk to make a soft dough.  It will be very sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled pastry board.  Cut off a small section of dough and roll it into a rope, about a finger’s width thick.

Cut the rope into 3″ sections (about a finger’s length) and twist each section into a braid.

Place the braids on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake them at 350° for 10-15 minutes. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack.

When they are completely cooled, dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and shake sprinkles on them.  Allow the icing to harden before storing them in an airtight container.