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Cookies without Nuts
Biscotti con il Limone di Elia (Italian Lemon Cookies, with vegetable oil, Grappa, vanilla, lemon juice and zest; glazed)
Originated from: Italy
Occasion: Any time
Contributed by: Anna-Maria Benvenuto

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Ingredients

For cookie dough
6 eggs
8 ounces sugar
6 ounces vegetable oil
4 teaspoons Magic baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
a touch of Grappa [about 1 tablespoon]
a touch of vanilla [about 1 teaspoon]
Flour as much as is needed

For glaze
Cream
Juice of lemon
Icing sugar
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Original Italian Text
6 uova
8 ouz. zucchero
6 ouz. oglio
4 c. te magich
Buccie limone e il succo
un po di Grappa e vaniglia
Forno 350, devone venire rose. Sbatere prima le uova, dopo sole lo zucchero; per il resto metere la farina come prende. Gurisse con la creme, suggo li limone, zucchero a velo.



Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Beat the eggs. Add the sugar.

Put in the rest of the ingredients.

Gradually add the flour until you have a soft cookie dough.

Form small balls.

Place the balls on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure there is ample space between them as they will spread a little.

Bake until golden (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Cool.

Make the glaze and brush it on the cookies.

Let the cookies dry at room temperature.

Keep the cookies in the fridge (or freeze them) until they are ready to be served.




Notes

Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto has collected hundreds of recipes from relatives, friends and neighbors over the years. She recorded the recipes in Italian in numerous notebooks, often naming the recipe after the person who gave it to her (The one in this entry was provided to her by her friend, Elia). Being an avid baker Mrs. Benvenuto tried out many of the recipes herself. Because of her talent and expertise, she did not feel the need to write detailed instructions as she knew how to make the recipes without them. However, when asked by this website's archivist (Mary Melfi) for details, she quickly volunteered the information. Nonetheless, as with most first generation Italian-Canadian handwritten recipes, it is understood that whoever attempts to duplicate them should have some knowledge of what they are doing (Easier said than done).... While Mrs. Benvenuto was born in the Veneto region (in 1938) and has a natural fondness for recipes that come from this area, she found that as soon as she immigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1952 she developed an instant appreciation for all foods from her homeland.... Photo and English translation of original Italian text: Mary Melfi.

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