Ingredients
For sweet taralli dough
400 grams (about 14 ounces) of flour
5 eggs
8 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of anise extract
For boiling the taralli
A large tall pot of water
about 1 teaspoon of salt
For greasing cookie sheets (to place the boiled taralli on)
about 1 tablespoon of olive oil
For frosting
200 grams (about 7 ounces) of icing sugar
2 deciliters of water (about 6.7 ounces)
Directions
Beat eggs. Add anise extract to beaten eggs.
Mix the flour with the table sugar.
On a wooden board gradually mix the flour, the table sugar and the anise-flavored beaten eggs together.
Work the ingredients into a malleable dough (about 15 to 20 minutes).
Form the dough into a ball, place it in a container, cover the container with a napkin, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Form the dough into a long, thin cylinder, then cut into pieces.
Shape each piece into a taralli log -- about 8 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.
Form rings by pinching the ends together.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt.
Place a few taralli a time into the boiling salted water, wait until they rise to the surface and then remove with a slotted spoon.
Place the boiled taralli on a cookie sheet greased with oil.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until the taralli are golden brown.
Remove the taralli from the oven and allow to cool.
To make the icing -- place 6.7 ounces of water in a pan. Gradually add the icing sugar to it and mix well. Cook the mixture until a thick syrup is obtained.
Pour the thick syrup (icing) on the taralli. Let the icing dry at room temperature.
After the icing has dried, keep the taralli in the fridge 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. Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto also copied recipes from various Italian cookbooks (The one presented in this entry was taken from an Italian cookbook published in the early 1970s). Being an avid baker Mrs. Benvenuto tried out many of the recipes herself. Because of her enormous 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.... Photo: Mary Melfi |
