Italian Christmas Cookies: Spumoni Slices

By Sirena Van Schiak

You know when it comes to Italian cuisine; things are not as simple as adding a few noodles and slapping on a dose of Italian sausage. Great Italian food comes with knowledge of how to get the most out of seasonings and it comes from a general love of food. If you do not love cooking, then your Italian food is not going to have the same type of kick as it would.

What is said about Italian cuisine can also be said about Italian cookies. It may be surprising but almost every region in Italy, and almost every town, village and family, has a different recipe for Christmas cookies. For this reason, you can have a lot of variety when it comes to creating a basket of Italian Christmas cookies.

This recipe, the Spumoni slices, is a beautiful addition to any Christmas basket. These tri-colored cookies are tasty, completely Italian and fairly easy to make, which will leave you loving them.

What you need:

• 3 cups of flour, all purpose is best
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• ½ cup of margarine
• ½ cup of shortening
• 2 tbsp + 4 tsp of milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp of salt
• 1 ounce of semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• ¼ tsp Rum Flavoring
• ½ cup of chopped pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup of red cherries, candied and chopped
• Green food coloring
• Red food coloring

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a large sized bowl, cream together the margarine and shortening with an electric hand blender.
3. Add half of the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and blend until the flour and sugar are well mixed.
4. Add the egg, vanilla and 2 tbsp of milk to the flour and margarine mixture.
5. Blend together until it is thoroughly mixed.
6. Slowly add the remaining flour mixture, blending as you do until the ingredients are well-blended.
   When the dough is well mixed, split it into three separate mixing bowls. Try to make the portions as even as possible.
7. Melt the chocolate and allow it to cool before adding it to one of the bowls of dough.
8. Add 2 tsp of milk to the chocolate dough and mix until the dough is well blended. Set aside.
9. With the second portion of dough, add the rum flavouring, pistachios, and 2 tsp of milk.
10. Mix until everything is well blended and then add a few drops of green food coloring. Fold the color into the dough until you get the desired color. Set aside.
11. Fold the candied cherries into the third portion of dough and mix thoroughly. Add a few drops of red food coloring until you have the desired color. Set aside.
12. Line a 1 litre bread pan, the type that is 8”x4”x2” in size, with a sheet of wax paper. Make sure to cover the sides as well.
13. Starting with the cherry dough, push the dough into the bottom of the pan. Try to make it as even as possible.
14. Repeat with the chocolate dough and again with the pistachio dough. The finished effect will be a layered cookie dough that has pink on the bottom, then chocolate, then green on top.
15. Cover the dough and refrigerate it over night or for 4 hours at the least.
16. When the dough has set, remove it from the bread pan by pulling the wax paper out.
17. Place the dough on a cutting board and make little finger cookies that are about ¼ inch wide and 2.5” long.
18. While you are cutting the dough, preheat the oven at 375°F.
19. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly browned.
20. Finish off by drizzling with melted chocolate.