Italian Creme Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Shape dough into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For icing, in a small bowl, combine milk, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Tint with food coloring if desired. Dip tops of cookies in icing; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.

Steps:

• Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until combined. Add flour and salt; mix until just combined. Stir in coconut, making sure it is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add vanilla and almond extract, then gradually stir in powdered sugar until frosting is creamy. Stir in coconut. Refrigerate icing to infuse the flavors, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in a small bowl until bubbly and frothy. Pour pecans into a shallow bowl.
• Shape the cookies by rolling the cold dough into 1-inch balls. Dip dough into the egg whites then roll in the pecans until covered. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of each cookie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes to firm up. Move cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely before filling with frosting.

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream shortening and margarine until even consistency. Add sugar and vanilla, cream until even. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, creaming after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, mix the maraschino cherry juice and buttermilk.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• Add half of the wet ingredients to the creamed mixture and then mix into the dry ingredients. Repeat with the other half of ingredients.
• Fold in coconut.
• Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the mixture.
• Divide mixture between 2 greased floured layer pans and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before icing.
• Beat first 4 ingredients until light and creamy. Spread mixture/icing between layers and over entire surface. Press toasted nuts around the periphery of the cake and arrange the remaining nuts on the top.

Steps:

• Make cake layers:.
• Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly butter and flour three 9-by 2-inch round cake pans, knocking out any excess flour.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together sugar, shortening, and margarine until light and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Into another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat flour mixture into egg mixture in 2 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until combined.
• Beat in vanilla, coconut, and chopped pecans.
• Beat egg whites in another bowl until they just hold stiff peaks and fold into batter gently but thoroughly.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops, and bake in upper two thirds of oven, switching position of pans in oven halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely.
• Make frosting:.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla until smooth.
• Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, beating until creamy.
• Stack cake layers on a cake plate, spreading about 1/2 cup frosting between each layer.
• Spread remaining frosting on top and side of cake.