Dreaming of Italian Comfort Food and Anginetti Cookies

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Guest Blogger:GeGeTan

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The key to understanding Italian culture

In many countries, cookies are referred to as biscuits. In Italy, they’re biscotti. October 14 is the National Dessert Day and we celebrate it by treating ourselves with something sweet. But when you’re just having an occasional bad day, Italian comfort food Anginetti Cookies is the perfect little biscotti to cheer you up.

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 teaspoon of real vanilla

• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest

• 6 tablespoons of butter

• Half a cup of skim milk

• Half a cup of sugar or sugar substitute

• 3 whole eggs

• 3 and half a cup of all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

• Half a teaspoons of baking soda

Icing

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

• 1 cup of powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon of water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat vanilla, lemon zest, butter, milk, and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, until everything is blended.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beat for about a minute after you’ve added all eggs.

4. Once all eggs are blended, put the mixer on low. Sift the flour and baking soda into the dough about one cup at a time, until the dough becomes firm and sticky.

5. If the dough is too firm, stop the blender and use a wooden spoon to mix.

6. Dust your hand lightly with flour, roll the dough into bite size balls.

7. Place 20 balls on the cookie sheet, 2 inches between each.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

9. Place all the ingredients for icing in a mixing bowl, whisk until everything is blended.

10. When the cookies are ready, use a small brush and floss the top with icing.

11. Ice the cookies while they’re still warm. You can sprinkle some additional powdered sugar.

12. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool.

If you are looking to make the powdered sugar healthier, simply take one cup of coconut sugar or date sugar, with one tablespoon of tapioca powder. Put them into a high-speed blender and blend until everything becomes powder.

In this week’s Maria Liberati Show, author and blogger Melissa Muldoon revealed what inspired her to write a time-travelling novel series about the art, language, and art culture of Italy.

It was through a study aboard program at Florence, Melissa found herself falling in love with Italy. She stayed with an Italian family, where she had the opportunity to fully experience the culture as well as practicing the language.

The power of language is incredible. Melissa said that the moment she opened her mouth and spoke Italian, she was welcomed by warming Italian people. “As soon as I tried to communicate with any of my Italian friends, they become dear friends,” said Melissa.

Melissa believes that language and culture go hand in hand because you have to learn one in order to learn the another. Learning the language was stepping stone that opened the door of fascinating Italian culture to Melissa.

After returning from Italy, the only way that kept Melissa connected to the culture she loves was creating her own story about Italy.

Melissa wrote her first fiction novel, Dreaming Sofia, with the intention of introducing Italian culture because she wanted to present Italy to her readers the way she personally experienced it. Later, Melissa added two more books into the series, Waking Isabella and Eternally Artemisia.

Each of her book is weaved together to highlight the story of an Italian women and their accomplishments. Melissa is going to publish her fourth book about a female student of Michelangelo, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola, in December.

Listen to The Maria Liberati Show wherever you get your podcasts 

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Award Winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays and Special Occasions- 2nd edition

For more go to https://www.marialiberati.com