Italian Cookie Recipes

We're making Italian Cookie Recipes with Chef de Cuisine Andrea Soave Nadeau of Camille's on Federal Hill.

Coconut Biscotti
2 cup Flour
1 ½ cup sugar
4 yolks
12 oz butter
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp milk
16oz coconut, sweetened
Salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate (for dipping)
1 cup toasted almond sliced

Combine butter and sugar in mixer and whip until creamy. Add in yolks & vanilla; once incorporated, add in milk, salt and finally coconut then flour. Turn out onto floured surface and shape into logs onto parchment covered sheet trays.

Bake 10-15 min 350. Set aside to cool, cut on a bias and is you choose to, dip one side in semi sweet chocolate and then into sliced toasted almonds.

Cherry Nut Slices
2 sticks softened unsalted butter
6 eggs
½  cup milk
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
4 tsp almond extract
4 tsp baking powder
2 cups chopped walnuts
4-5 cups of flour
16 oz jarred maraschino cherries, drained, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil or Crisco (for hands)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter & sugar in bowl of stand mixer and mix together until creamy, add in milk, eggs, extract and baking powder, blend until creamy.

Add in chopped cherries. Pour mixture in bowl and add walnuts and stir in 10 cups of flour, until you have a workable sticky dough, turn dough out on surface and oil hands work into 6 log shaped rolls and transfer to parchment lined sheet trays.

Bake 20 minutes. Cool and then cover with icing (recipe to follow) and sprinkles. Let dry and cut on a bias.

Icing
2 cups 10x sugar/confectionary
2 tbsp softened butter
2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
Sprinkles, jimmies or sanding sugar (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over low flame and heat until smooth and creamy, Spoon over loaves, sprinkle with optional candies and allow to dry.