Well, it’s been quite some time since I’ve been able to step foot in the kitchen and really take the time to bake something, start to finish. But turns out, I have a good reason…..on April 25th, the night before hoping on a plane for some little R&R in Maui, my oh so clever beau pulled the unexpected. He asked me to be his forever and I could not have been more elated and surprised. So surprised in fact, that I almost forgot to say yes! But of course, once I was brought back to reality from the cloud I was dancing on, I couldn’t say it fast enough.
I will always cherish the way he choose to do it, too. In front of my family (who I think were left in as much shock and awe as I was), just after prayer, as we were all gathered around the table, about to sit down and eat. In our jeans and T-Shirts at my Nannu’s and Zia’s home. So very us. No fuss or frills, but with my family who loves us both so much, as we do them. And we have been celebrating with friends and relatives every moment since that day. Turns out there were a lot of people who were waiting for this just as long as I had…
So this weekend, in honor of saying yes to my Italian fiancé (still getting used to that), I chose to bake some old fashion Italian Wedding Cookies. A classic, that’s just sweet enough. I am so looking forward to planning our wedding this coming year, and all the memories that are going to follow…
P.S. I can’t forget to mention that one of my best girlfriends got engaged just TWO days before I did. No it was not planned. Our significant others are just so darn good at keeping secrets, they forgot to even tell each other! How fun is that????
Happy Tastings,
Lauren (Future Mrs. Loiacono)
Italian Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup of Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups of Ground Almonds
- 1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
- 3 cups of Sifted All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of Salt
- 1/3 cup of Confectioners’ Sugar for rolling
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream the butter in a bowl and gradually add the powder sugar, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add the almonds and vanilla extract and blend.
4. Add the flour, one cup at a time and mixing after each.
5. Shape into balls. I used a small cookie dough scoop so that the sizing stayed consistent, and rolled them with my hands to make them smooth before placing on the baking sheet.
6. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Allow cookies to cool completely before rolling in the powder sugar.
The Buttered Cupboard 