posted by Southern 01-03-99 3:16 PM
OSSI DEI MORTI (BONES OF THE DEAD)
3 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Beat eggs at high speed for 5 to 6 minutes. Then mix for another 6 minutes while slowly adding powdered sugar.
Combine flour and baking powder, then add 1/3 at a time to batter. (If mixture gets too sticky, add a little more
flour.)
Roll dough into long dowel shapes (about 1-1/2 inches thick and as long as your baking sheet) on a floured pastry board.
Place dowels on baking sheet, cover with clean towel, and let sit overnight. Return dowels to floured pastry board
to cut into 1-1/2 inch long pieces, then return pieces to baking sheet.
Bake at 375 °F until light golden brown (about 20 minutes). Remove and cool. Will keep for about a month in an airtight container. Dunk them in some Demitasse before eating -- they're hard as bones!
SOURCE: Ottaviana's Kitchen
http://ottavianas-kitchen.com/cookies.htm
BONES OF THE DEAD
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 pound confectioners' sugar
3/4 pound flour (3 cups)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon anise, lemon, or vanilla flavoring
Sift together dry ingredients three times. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat yolks with flavoring, add dry
ingredients, then fold in egg whites.
Work dough well. Roll into long strips (1 inch thick) and cut on the diagonal (2 inches long). Place on baking sheet. Let dry overnight, uncovered. Bake at 350 °F for 8 to 10 minutes.
SOURCE: The Mining Company -- Italian Culture
http://italianculture.miningco.com/library/blrecipe.htm
"BONES OF THE DEAD" ITALIAN COOKIES
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1 pound powdered sugar
6 drops cinnamon oil
6 drops clove oil
2/3 cup warm water
Sift together dry ingredients. Add oils to warm water. Slowly add warm water to dry ingredients until a heavy dough
(like pasta dough) forms. (It should not be sticky. Do not add more flour.) For each cookie, tear off a piece about
the size of an orange. On an unfloured surface, roll it into a rope (about 1-1/4 inch wide), then press flat (about 1/4
inch high).
Make small cuts on the diagonal, first one way and then the other, to create a lattice effect. Bake at 325 °F for 50 to 60 minutes. Dust with 2 more cups of powdered sugar. To eat, dunk cookies into a hot beverage (such as coffee or tea). Otherwise, they could break your teeth!
SOURCE: Joan's Personal Recipe Archive
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/8098/text/cky0002.txt