Busters Recipes

Italian Cookies


1 cup sugar -- rounded
1 cup butter
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
5 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla

Blend butter and sugar. Mix flour and baking powder and add to butter
and sugar mixture. Blend with hands until mixed very well. Add beaten
eggs and vanilla. Knead until oily. After shaping, bake at 400 degrees
for 8-10 minutes on lightly greased baking sheet.

To shape, divide dough into thirds.
Chocolate - Add 2 tablespoons cocoa, a dash of cinnamon and 1/2 cup
chopped nuts to one third of the dough. Mix well. Shape into 1-inch
balls. After baking and cooling, frost with an icing made of powder
sugar, butter and a little cocoa.

Almond - Add 1 teaspoon anise flavoring (liquid) to one third of the
dough. Shape into 1-inch balls. After baking and cooling, frost with an
icing made from powder sugar, vanilla and milk.

Sesame - Add 1 teaspoon anise flavoring to one third of the dough. Shape
into small finger lengths and roll in sesame seeds.

Another option: Add 1 teaspoon almond flavoring to one third of the
dough. Divide in half. Color one half light pink, one half light green.
Pat one half of the dough out into a 3x6-inch rectangle. Pat the other
half down on the first half. After baking, frost and cut into diagonal
slices. The chocolate cookies can also be shaped this way. After
frosting, sprinkle with some chopped nuts. The almond-flavored
ball-shaped cookies could also be tinted pink/green.



NOTES : The diagonally-cut cookies are faster to shape but be aware that
they break easily while they are being cut. Try using a very sharp,
non-serrated knife. I don't know how many cookies a recipe makes, but it
makes lots. To make frosting the ball-shaped cookies easier, hold them
upside down over a bowl of frosting, dip and twirl. Good luck. I'm not
an expert, but I've made these a few times. They are challenging, but
worth the effort.