Zia Francesca’s Biscotti Natale
(Aunt Frances’ Christmas Cookies)
From the kitchen of Florence Bonadero
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup evaporated milk (plus some for brushing tops)
l teaspoon lemon extract
l teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 ounce box of reconstituted mincemeat (or fresh)
Coloured sprinkles
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Using two
knives or a pastry blender, cut the butter or margarine into the
flour. Mix until coarse pea-size crumbs form. Add sugar
and mix.
In a smaller bowl, beat the milk with eggs and the flavoured
extracts. Stir into the flour mixture. Dust your hands with
flour and knead the dough for about 2 minutes. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (over night is
better).
Make mincemeat according package directions, or use fresh mincemeat
recipe in this issue. (A nine ounce package of mincemeat is
sufficient and leftovers can be frozen)
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie
pans with parchment paper lining or coat with a non-stick spray
On a floured surface, take a piece of dough about the size of a
walnut. Place between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll flat, in
a circle. Wet edges with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon
mincemeat filling in the center of rolled out dough. Turn over
half of the circle, pressing down with a floured fork on the
dampened dough edges to make it adhere.
Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Brush the tops
of cookies with the extra milk and shake colored sprinkles on top of
each cookie.
Bake 20 minutes, checking in 15 minutes to make sure they are not
getting too brown on top.
Remove from pans and cool on a rack before packing them in tightly
closed tin boxes. You may want to refrigerate for one hour
before serving
Makes about 5 dozen cookies, and is a great and welcomed gift,
boxed in a pretty tin.
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