Italian Easter Cookies Taralli Dolci Di Pasqua Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• In a mixer, beat the eggs and yolks until pale and fluffy. Slowly stream in the granulated sugar, melted butter and vanilla, and continue to mix until smooth.
• Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and continue to mix on low until everything comes together in a firm dough.
• On a lightly floured wooden board, briefly knead the dough to make a smooth ball, then pat into a rectangle and cut into 4 equal pieces. Split the pieces in half again to make 8 pieces, then repeat to make 16 equal dough balls. Set aside to make room to roll them.
• Use your fingers to gently roll out each dough ball into a 12-inch rope; if the dough is excessively sticky, dust your hands very lightly with flour, then knead the dough for about 20 seconds. (If you use too much flour the dough will become brittle, so go easy on it.)
• Cut each rope into three 4-inch sections, pinch the ends together to make rings, and place on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• Bake the cookies, rotating halfway through, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on racks, 20 minutes. The cookies will last for 10 days in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extract, 1/4 cup milk and oil. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the wet mixture. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls out into ropes about 5 inches long. Tie into loose knots and place cookies 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 5 minutes on the bottom shelf and 5 minutes on the top shelf of the preheated oven, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. When cookies are cool, dip them into the icing.
• To make the icing, cream together the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extracts. Beat in 3 tablespoons milk, one tablespoon at a time, then stir in the food coloring if desired.