Star Wars Italian Food: Anakin and Padme Wedding Cookies Recipe AKA Barely Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe

I can't seem to help myself...I'm still cooking/baking Italian!!! It's what I know. I don't know how to cook UKish, yet. 😄  We love, love, love Italian Wedding cookies. Not only the perfect almond flavoring, but also the way they sweetly MELT in one's mouth. Yum!!!

Real Italian Flavor!

One of the things about most Italian Wedding Cookie Recipes is they are made with only vanilla flavoring. That's not how it's done in our "barely Italian" family. We use flavors one would expect coming from Italy...and we like it better than the ones we have bought anywhere else. However, one can adjust the flavorings if they are making these into Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Teacakes. For instance, you might want to use Mexican vanilla and cinnamon in the Mexican Wedding Cookies. In Russian Teacakes, you might want to substitute some honey and ground walnuts for a more traditional flavor.

Roll 3 Times!

Also, many people only roll their cookies once in confectioner's sugar, but we roll each cookie three times in the powdered sugar to make sure the layer is thick for three reasons: (1) Wedding cookies are not that sweet on their own...they pick up most of their sweetness from the outer layer of powdered sugar. (2) The wedding cookies stay softer by being enclosed in this thick layer, less chance of drying out. (3) Most Italians believe strongly in the "Trinity" and the "three-strand cord wedding" and it's symbolic.

And don't forget the free printable Star Wars Party Food Label!!! 

Star Wars Italian Food:
Anakin and Padme Wedding Cookies Recipe
AKA Barely Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups salted butter, melted
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond meal
• 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon almond extract or amaretto extract (whichever you prefer)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Extra 2 cups of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) for rolling baked cookies

Amaretto Boston Cream Tiramisu Recipe

This tiramisu is so delicious, it could possibly land you in the hospital. Seriously, it is so rich, yet delectable, I want MORE!!! My blood sugar has to be through the roof right now.

In taking the best of both worlds, I mixed up my Boston Cream Tiramisu with my Amaretto Tiramisu recipes and came up with this baby. It's my favorite one! It could only be improved if I can figure out a way to incorporate Violet Crumbles candy bars into it.

Tiramisu is better if created the day before and allowed to sit overnight in the fridge, 12-24 hours should do it. This works out perfect for special events, because it presents beautifully, even though created the day before. Just wait to add any whipped cream on top until you are close to serving time.

Amaretto Boston Cream Tiramisu after topping with ganache.

Both cookies, Danesita Lady Fingers and Lazzaroni Amaretti Cookie Snaps, used in this dessert can be acquired through Cost Plus World Market. However, if by sharing this delicious slice of heaven with you, they run out of these cookies, you are in so much trouble! Do not take the last package, place it back on the shelf in my honor (wink, wink). Disaronno Amaretto can be picked up at most any store, if you are of legal drinking age. However, I will share with you, if you prefer to make this dessert without alcohol, the amaretti cookie snaps give it enough amaretto flavor to satisfy!

*Note: What to do with those leftover egg whites? I always make my special meringue cookie recipe. I will post that soon! :)

Amaretto Boston Cream Tiramisu Recipe
(Print Recipe)

Steps in making Amaretto Boston Cream Tiramisu Recipe

 Ingredients:

1 7 oz package of Lazzaroni Amaretti Cookie Snaps
1  7.1 oz package of Danesita Lady Fingers (or any other brand)
2 packages of hot cocoa
2 cups of milk

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 pound of mascarpone cheese, room temp (you can substitute cream cheese)
Splash of Disaronno Amaretto (optional)

2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T powdered sugar

1 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Mix two packages of hot cocoa mix with two cups of hot milk. Set aside, to cool.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and 2/3 cup of milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about a minute after bringing it to a gentle boil. Be sure to keep stirring and keep the heat low or you will end up with scrambled eggs. Cool enough to pour into a bowl and immediately place plastic wrap over it, touching the surface of the custard to keep it from forming a film on top. Refrigerate for one hour.

Pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream into a deep bowl. Stir in vanilla and sifted powdered sugar. Beat on high until peaks form making a whipped cream (do not over beat it or you will have butter instead). Set aside in refrigerator.

The messy process of layering the Amaretto Boston Cream Tiramisu

After one hour, remove custard and beat in the mascarpone cheese (which should be at room temperature). Add a splash of Amaretto liqueur if so desired.

Using a trifle dish, dip each of the lady fingers in the cocoa you made earlier. Layer 4-5 on the bottom. Continue dipping the lady fingers in the cocoa and standing them around the sides of the trifle dish. The entire package should be used. Now layer half the custard, then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Now dip the amaretti cookies into the cocoa and place a layer over the whipped cream. Again, layer the other half of the custard filling and 1/3 of the whipped cream, and one more layer of Amaretti cookies.

Place in the refrigerator. Now to make the ganache, in the top of a double boiler, melt your chocolate chips and 1 cup of heavy cream over low heat. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove pan of ganache from over hot water and set aside to cool. Once cool, beat it until creamy. Put inside a decorator bag and pipe it into stars or flowers on top of the tiramisu. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with additional whipped cream and amaretti cookies.

Buongiorno miei amata amici! Biscotti's root words mean "twice baked" which is befitting for this treat. In Italian biscotti means cookie or biscuit. Thus biscotti is a twice-baked cookie! For it is first baked into a loaf and then sliced diagonally into cookies and rebaked to toast the outside of this delicacy giving it a crisp outside and a texture similar to shortbread inside. In our family, homemade Biscotti is also consumed twice as fast, as store bought versions.

Biscotti was developed in Tuscany and served with wine, such as Vin Santo. It is a dipping cookie, whether paired with wine, coffee, or tea. Coffee houses have found that customers love biscotti with their cup of cappuccino. They also make an elegant decor on top of gelato.

Because Biscotti are baked so as to dry them out to prevent mold and they keep well in an airtight container for months at a time, sailors loved them, notably Christopher Columbus. The shelf life is approximately 2-6 months without preservatives, dependent upon your additions and how well they are dried out during baking.

Versatility is the chef's friend with biscotti. Your imagination is your limit. Traditionally they were made with butter, eggs, sugar, flour, and almonds. Today, you can find them in many flavors and baking them yourself lends you the key to unique biscotti. Your friends and family will be raving about the best biscotti they have ever enjoyed after savoring your baking.

• 3/4 cup of real butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 T of flavoring (depending on the strength)
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate for melting (I used 50/50 of Ghirardelli's milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips)

For my amaretto flavored cookies I confess I did not only use a little almond extract flavoring, but I also added my husband's amaretto flavored non-dairy creamer (about a 1/3 cup). I should like to try them with some Italian Amaretto liqueur in the future.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper for the best result, otherwise lightly grease your cookie sheet.

In my Kitchen Aid mixer I creamed together the butter and sugar, then added the flavorings. I then beat in the eggs, baking powder, and salt. I then mixed in the flour until well blended.

I divided the dough in half and shaped it into foot long logs on my cookie sheet, pressing each into about a 1/2" thick. This needs not be exact, as biscotti is forgiving.

Bake the biscotti for about 30 minutes either on the bottom or center racks of your oven. Remove from oven and cool down enough to work with, but not all the way cool. Using a serrated knife, cut them diagonally into 1/2" thick slices. Gently separate the slices from each other just a tad so the heat can get to all sides of each slice. Place back in oven for another 10-15 minutes to finish the baking, turning slices over about midway.

After removing from the oven, let them cool some. I then melted chocolate (can be done either in the microwave or in the top of a double boiler), spooned it into a small Ziploc baggie and snip a very small tip off one corner. Then I squeezed zig-zags across the biscotti in a couple of directions. I did place the cookies in the freezer for a couple of minutes to set the chocolate before storing. In the future, I will share with you a traditional biscotti recipe using olive oil, instead of butter.

Let your imagination guide you. One could add sliced almonds to this or crush almonds to put on top of the chocolate. Or why not try hazelnuts? For kid friendly biscotti, replace the amaretto with vanilla and cinnamon and then glaze them with white chocolate or icing with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on it. Christmas time you could use crush Ghirardelli Peppermint Chocolate to use inside or drizzle on the outside and serve with Ghirardelli's famous Peppermint Hot Cocoa.

I did not add real almonds to mine to keep mine kid friendly and my children love it. They rather enjoy learning about their Italian Culture through their taste buds.