Cleo Coyle Recipes.com: How to Make ANGINETTI - Italian Lemon Cookies by author Cleo Coyle

How to Make ANGINETTI - Italian Lemon Cookies by author Cleo Coyle

In my big Italian family, these light lemony cookies with a sweet glaze often made their appearance during the holidays. With colorful sprinkles added, anginetti make wonderful cookies for parties, wedding celebrations, Christmas, and Easter.

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Because the dough can be formed into many traditional shapes, the cookies are fun to make with children. Even the littlest ones will be able to add the colored sprinkles.

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A Note from Cleo

While anginetti can be served with or without colorful sprinkles (nonpareils), the sprinkles are what make these cookies especially popular for Italian weddings, which is why I featured this recipe in my 7th Coffeehouse Mystery Espresso Shot (first edition 2008) where a spectacular wedding takes place at the heart of a perplexing murder mystery.

To learn more about
Espresso Shot, click here.

If you've ever been to an Italian wedding, then you know about the cookie table! In my family, those tables were always piled high with homemade specialties from cousins, aunts, mothers, and grandmothers of the bride and groom.

As for the anginetti, the sprinkles evoke the longstanding wedding tradition of giving guests almonds coated with hard-sugar shells as favors. Because almonds have a bittersweet taste, they represent the truth of married life, but the sugarcoating represents the hope that the newlyweds' life will be more sweet than bitter.

May these cookies add
a little sweetness to your life...

My beloved aunt,
Mary Capaccio

This recipe is very close to one made by my beloved late aunt Mary. I've mentioned Aunt Mary on this blog in other recipe posts. She was born in Italy, and she helped my mother raise me and my sister, Grace.

For years, I was her little assistant cook, and I always think of her with love whenever I make a recipe she taught me.

Thank you, Aunt Mary, I miss you and love you. I know you would be thrilled to see this post and join me in inviting everyone to...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo

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Cleo Coyle's Anginetti

(Glazed Italian Lemon Cookies)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated from rind, no white pith)

1/8 teaspoon table salt (about two pinches)

3 large eggs (lightly whisked with fork)

1/4 cup whole milk

4 teaspoons baking powder

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Step 1 – Make your dough: Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts, lemon zest, and salt.

Add the eggs and beat for a full minute until light and fluffy. Add the milk and baking powder and beat for another 30 seconds.

Finally, blend in the flour, but take care not to over-mix at this stage or you will develop the gluten and your cookies will be tough. The dough will be soft and sticky. YOU MUST (1) Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour—cold dough is easier to work with. AND (2) USE FLOURED HANDS TO WORK WITH THE STICKY DOUGH. If storing overnight, take out dough, pat into a disc and tightly wrap in plastic.

Step 2 – Bake: Preheat your oven to 350 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon sheets or lightly coat surface with non-stick spray. USE FLOURED HANDS TO WORK WITH YOUR STICKY DOUGH. Break off pieces and form into one or more of these classic shapes.

For lemon drops, simply roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls. Again, if the dough is sticky, be sure to chill it first AND use floured hands when working with it.

For love knots, roll pieces of dough between palms to form ropes. Tie the ropes into small knots. (Chill first and use floured hands, dough is sticky.)

For rings, form the ropes into circles instead and press ends together (if dough seems dry, use a bit of water as glue).

Bake about 10 to 15 minutes.

NOTE: Do not overcook. The cookies will not brown on top, so look for a light golden browning on the bottoms. See my photo below...

Baking time of 10 to 15 minutes will vary, depending on your oven. For mine it's 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool before glazing and decorating.

Step 3 – Make the glaze: Into a bowl sift 2 cups powdered sugar. In a separate, small bowl place 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (you should be able to extract this from 1 large lemon). Add 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract and 2 teaspoons water.

Add the lemon juice mixture to the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Fork-whisk until the glaze reaches the consistency you wish. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. If too thick, add a bit more water and blend until smooth.

(See my photos to help you gauge how

the glaze on the cookies should look.)

TO GLAZE COOKIES: Dip the tops of cooled cookies into the glaze, turn once or twice, then lift, letting the extra glaze drip off. Allow the cookies to sit on a rack undisturbed until the glaze sets (about 15 minutes). Sprinkles must be added while the glaze is still wet. Again, allow the glaze to dry before serving.