December 2022

People have come into our lives so that we learn about each other and share our traditions, especially cookie recipes.....how many looseleaf paper scribbled with a recipe having oil stains all over it.

I'm dedicating December 2022 to all the cookie recipes I've gotten over the years.

Let's start with my mother's recipe of Cartellate, which is the traditional cookie from my town of Palese in Bari. Mom was very poor, so they cooked using what they had. They had lots of almonds, so calzoncheed which were ravioli shaped cookie dough filled with cooked pears and almonds made into a paste. Delicious 😋

The best part of Christmas is making cookies

Let's start baking.....

Let's get baking!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1 whole thin skinned orange, remove the stem and cut in quarters. Keep the skin on the oranges.

In a clean large food processor, add the orange quarters, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of orange extract, 1 tbsp of Triple Sec liqueur, optional, 2/3 cup vegetable oil.

Pulse all ingredients in the processor and then puree until mixture becomes a batter with specs of orange peel.

Add to the processor:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Process all dry ingredients until they are entirely incorporated into the batter.

Bake in a greased and floured spring pan, using a parchment paper circle on top of the greased bottom.*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.

Remove from your oven and let it cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar or make a drizzle of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange until thick and smooth. Pour onto the cooled fresh orange cake.

Cooking with Love

with Gianna Conte (Jan)