Italian Christmas Cookies: A Family Tradition

My great grandmother made these cookies. She passed them down to her son, then my mom. Now I make them every year. I love how food can bring back the memories of our family and days past. I can remember adding the little colored sprinkles on when I was younger. They rolled all over the place. My mom shares the same memory from when she learned as a little girl. I will teach my nephews soon and we will continue to pass on the memory of my Mimi.

All through the holiday season we are pulling out the recipes from our past. Thanksgiving is done exactly the same as it was when I was little. We make my grandmother’s stuffing along with all the other sides. My mom and I have a system down now to prepare everything. It goes pretty flawlessly considering all the food we cook.

November is pie season around here, but December is dedicated to cookies. We give them away as gifts. They are sent to work and school as a thank you for a good year. We also eat a lot of them! No dieting in December, that’s for sure!

Every year I try a few new recipes. Still, there are always a few that show up every year. This Italian cookie is one of them. This cookie is drier inside, not like a chewy chocolate chip cookie. The flavor of the cookie is a not too sweet almond flavor and vanilla with a sweet glaze on top. It is also easy to modify by changing the extract. You can swap in vanilla, lemon, or anise extracts in place of the almond or try combining a few.

Gram’s Italian Cookies

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

3 cups flour

4 Tbsp. baking powder

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl add eggs, olive oil, sugar, and almond extract. Mix until blended. Add in flour and baking powder. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

Scoop out about 1 Tbsp of dough and roll dough into a log then roll into a circle.

Place on a cookie sheet. Cook for 9 – 11 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Glaze

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 – 2 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Mix and pour over cookies

Decorate with nonpareils

This is a much loved recipe in my family. I hope you enjoy. What is your families favorite cookie? Do you have any that have been passed down through generations? I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Happy baking!