Ossi di Morto (Bones of the Dead)

In honor of All Souls Day, here is an interesting recipe for Bones of the Dead cookies.  It comes from the The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion Cookbook, but for the sake of convenience, I’ve reproduced it below.  They are tasty cookies with a slightly crunchy exterior and light, cakelike interior.

Ossi di Morto (Bones of the Dead)

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour*

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Beat in the wet ingredients to make a smooth, soft dough.

Transfer the dough to a heavily floured work surface and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter, and 16" long.

Cut each rope into 4" pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, pinch the center, giving it a slender "waist" about 1/2" thick. Plump the ends into knobs so the whole thing resembles a bone.

Transfer the "bones" to the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.

The next day, remove the cookies from the refrigerator. Allow them to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Towards the end of the rest, preheat the oven to 300°F.

Bake the cookies for 15 to 25 minutes. Bake less time for a cookie that's lightly crunchy on the outside and chewy within, and longer for a hard, crunchy cookie.

Remove the cookies from the oven, cool, and roll the cookies confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

*To make almond flour, whir almonds in a high-speed blender (such as a Ninja) or run them through a Vitamix.  Do NOT use a food processor or you'll have almond butter.

This post is linked to:

 Show and Tell Friday
 Seasonal Sundays