Tuesday, December 01, 2009

A Holiday Gift For You


Grandma LaCapria's Biscotti
Smelling grandma's cookies is like having her stand beside me. They remind me of how loved I felt around her. Making one of her recipes is like giving myself, and whoever I bake for, the gift of her presence. I made her biscotti this Thanksgiving, (pictured here).
These contain almonds, but you can put whatever you want in them. This recipe has basically the same ingredients as Grandma L's butter cookies, except the baking directions are different. Grandma usually started out with a mountain of flour. Then she would stuff the mountain with eggs and suddenly there was dough. I'm not that talented, so I use a bowl and my electric mixer. These taste so great with tea and coffee, or a big glass of milk. I hope you share this recipe with someone this holiday season.
Ingredients:
5 cups flour
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 sticks of butter
1 tbsp. baking powder
optional ingredients: almonds/ dried fruit/ other nuts
Directions:
  1. mix sugar, baking powder, flour in a bowl
  2. dump mixture onto a large cookie sheet
  3. make a hole in the middle and fill hole with eggs, butter
  4. squish everything until it looks like dough
  5. make two loaves of dough
  6. place loaves on greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown
  7. remove from oven
  8. cut loaves crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
  9. lay slices cut side down on same pan making sure the pieces do not touch
  10. return to oven and bake five minutes
  11. store cookies in tightly covered container


7 comments:

Jennifer Chronicles (jenx67.com) said...

this is precious. how wonderful of you to share your grandma's recipe - even better that you have those memories, loren. they last a lifetime. i don't have memories like this about my grandparents. i so wish i did! i do have them about my mom, though. i will be trying this recipe and reporting back. my mother loves biscotti!! so is lacapria italian?

Loren said...

Jen, Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Yes, I was lucky enough to know this great-grandmother and my paternal great-grandmother as well. Let me know how they come out. Yes, the LaCaprias, my maternal great-grandparents immigrated from Italy to NY in the early part of the twentieth century.

Putz said...

we are busy making pazzells{spelling?????} surely you know what that is??????i am really upset this morning, read my blog to find out why

rhymeswithplague said...

Mrs. RWP and I love biscotti! I hope she makes your grandma's recipe as biscottie costs over three dollars for a small lbox of six at the grocery store.

Loren said...

Hi Mr. Brague, well I'm happy to share it with you! Mr. Putz, I can't figure out what Pazzel is. Is it a type of dessert, or pasta? Do you mean pastella- means "little dough" used in pastry.

Putz said...

a plain old italian sugr cookie with tons of real butter in it and a hot irnon with bells from italy that are impressed right into the cokie and catholic symbols of saints and apostles...you make it at chrisatmas and go out to all the neighbors as a visit and gift and they end up loving you forever and pester you year round for them and ministronie soup

Loren said...

Mr. Putz, please send me the recipe?

Dear Internet Traveler,

Welcome to my writer's blog, started about six years ago for fun. Over time, the writing I have posted has ranged from personal reflection, to Long Island history research, to tall tales for my own amusement, to feature articles for local newspapers. As you can see from topics listed here, I travel in many mental directions in regard to interests. Click on the tabs and labels to explore my strange mind which senses that you may be having a criss-cross day. If so, perhaps this blog will distract you. However, please note that if you tell me my blog is beautiful just to get me to advertise rhinoplasty surgery and cheap drugs from Canada in your comment, I will ask the gods to give you a tail that cannot be concealed.

Fondly,

Loren Christie

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