Red Wine Sesame Biscuits 
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes  Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 48 servings
"Crunchy, lightly sweetened biscuits flavored with red wine and coated
 in sesame seeds."
INGREDIENTS:
310 g all-purpose flour
65 g white sugar
8 g baking powder
3 g salt
1 egg

120 ml vegetable oil
80 ml red wine
1 egg white
20 g sesame seeds, toasted
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add the egg, oil and wine all at once and mix until well blended.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into log shapes and
cut into irregularly shaped 1 inch slices. Roll each piece of dough in
the egg white and then roll to coat with sesame seeds. Place cookies
at least 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.
Turn the oven off and leave the cookies inside to crisp.
These cookies will keep for weeks in an air tight container.
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Italian Chocolate Cookies 
 Yields: 24 servings
"This recipe is from an Italian friend of mine and they are so good!"
INGREDIENTS:
375 g all-purpose flour
20 g baking powder
150 g white sugar
20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
225 g butter, softened
80 ml milk
5 ml vanilla extract

60 g chopped walnuts
56 g unsweetened chocolate
15 g butter, softened
5 ml vanilla extract
240 g confectioners' sugar
60 ml hot milk
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Sift 3 cups flour twice. In a large bowl, mix flour,
baking powder, white sugar and cocoa.
Cream 1 cup butter or margarine; blend into flour mixture.
Add 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and nuts.
Mix thoroughly with hands until well blended.
(Dough should be the consistency of pie crust, but not sticky.)
For each cookie, pinch off about 1 teaspoon dough.
Roll by hands into balls, each about one-inch in diameter.
Place on greased baking sheets. Do not flatten.
Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
Remove from baking sheets; cool on racks.
When cool, drizzle each generously with chocolate frosting.
Sprinkle with candy sprinkles if desired.
To make Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate squares over low heat.
Cream with 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla and
2 cups of confectioner's sugar. Gradually add hot milk, beating until smooth
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Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies 
 Yields: 24 servings
"These cookies have a rich shortbread taste."
INGREDIENTS:
250 g all-purpose flour
220 g packed brown sugar
25 g cornstarch
3 g instant espresso powder
5 g salt 225 g unsalted butter, cubed
5 ml vanilla extract
90 g hazelnuts - toasted, skinned and
coarsely chopped
30 ml hot water
56 g semisweet chocolate
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Blend flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon espresso powder
and salt in a food processor. Add butter and vanilla.
Using the pulse cycle-or pressing on/off button on your food processor,
process until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add nuts; blend until finely chopped.
Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead just until dough comes together.
Divide dough in half. Press each half into 9-inch-diameter tart pan
with removable bottom.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until deep golden brown,
about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 2 minutes
then remove sides of pan. Cut each shortbread round into 24 wedges.
Cool completely.
Mix 2 tablespoons hot water and remaining 1 teaspoon espresso powder
in small saucepan. Add chocolate. Stir over medium-low heat until
chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
Drizzle chocolate mixture over cookies. Let stand until chocolate sets.

Italian Pignoli Cookies  
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 18 Minutes  Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Yields: 36 servings
"They are pleasantly sweet, made with almond paste , pine nuts,
but no flour."
INGREDIENTS:
340 g almond paste
100 g white sugar
120 g confectioners' sugar
4 egg whites
205 g pine nuts

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Line 2 cookie sheets with foil; lightly grease foil.
Mix almond paste and granulated sugar in food
processor until smooth.
Add confectioners' sugar and 2 egg whites; process until smooth.
Whisk remaining 2 egg whites in small bowl.
Place pine nuts on shallow plate.
With lightly floured hands roll dough into 1 inch balls.
Coat balls in egg whites, shaking off excess, then roll in pine nuts,
pressing lightly to stick. Arrange balls on cookie sheets,
and flatten slightly to form a 1 1/2 inch round.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
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Italian Pizzelles 
 Yields: 18 servings
"Italian Crisp Wafer cookies made with a patterned iron  has chocolate
and ground nuts topped with your favorite chocolate icing."
INGREDIENTS:
40 g ground walnuts
280 g all-purpose flour
20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
15 g baking powder
3 eggs
200 g white sugar
75 g butter, melted
10 ml vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together the ground nuts, flour,
cocoa and baking powder; set aside. In a separate bowl,
beat eggs on the high speed of an electric mixer, gradually
add the sugar and mix until thick and yellow.
Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.
Gradually stir in the flour mixture, just mixing enough to combine.
Heat up the pizzelle iron until a drop of water dances on the surface,
then slightly reduce heat.
Drop 1 rounded tablespoon of batter for each cookie.
Close the lid and bake for about 2 minutes, depending on your iron.
Turn cookie out and trim before cooling on racks.
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Italian Florentines
Yields: 30 servings
"Thin lacey cookie made with whipping cream."
INGREDIENTS:
50 g white sugar
180 ml heavy whipping cream
30 g all-purpose flour
70 g finely chopped almonds
225 g chopped candied orange peel
224 g semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Blend the sugar and the cream. Stir in the flour,
almonds and orange peel. Drop by teaspoonfuls
onto a heavily creased and floured cookie sheet.
Spread mixture into thin circles with a spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) just until
the edges are light brown about 10 to 12 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes before removing from the
cookie sheet, cool.
Chop the chocolate up into small pieces.
Melt chocolate over low heat or in the microwave
on medium for about 3 minutes. Turn the cooled
cookies upside down and spread the bottoms with
the melted chocolate. Let cookies stand at room
temperature until chocolate is firm, at least 3 hours.
Store in a covered container at room temperature or refrigerate.
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