Italian Bones Cookies taste like icing with a crunch! A powdered-sugar-based Italian cookie, flavored with almond extract. It’s a perfect cookie to celebrate Halloween, Day of the Dead or All Saints’ Day!
The Root of “Halloween”
Are you ready for Halloween?
Did you know that the word “Hallowe’en” is a contraction of “All Hallowed Even”? “Even”, like “evening”, meaning “eve” or night before. And the “Hallowed”, or “Holy” meaning the Saints in Heaven! Halloween is All Saints’ Day Eve! (Maybe you’ve heard it called “All Hallows Eve”? Same thing!)
These cookies are perfect not only for Halloween, but also for the 2 days that follow: All Saints’ Day (Nov 1), and All Souls’ Day (Nov 2).
You may have heard the name in Spanish: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), but it’s more appropriate here to use the Italian: Giorno dei Morti. These “days” cover both All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.
These cookies celebrate those who have gone before us. They can simply be spooky Halloween cookies, or a chance to talk to your kids about first-class relics.
Either way, this is a delicious addition to your fall repertoire. My favorite part of the bone cookie is the crunchy bone. My husband likes the chewy “marrow” that spills out of the bone when it bakes. Whether you like crunchy or chewy, this cookie has you covered!
Italian Bones Cookies Ingredients
Because the main ingredients are powdered sugar and eggs, this cookie tastes similar to a royal icing flavored with almond extract.
Flour: all-purpose flour. Measure by weight for best results or gently spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level off the top.
Baking Powder: This cookie has a good deal of levening agent in it to help the “marrow” explode out of the bone as it bakes.
Powdered Sugar: 4 cups of powdered sugar is 1 pound. If you buy a 1 pound package, you can throw the whole thing in without measuring!
Eggs: This recipe is not picky about the temperature of the eggs, but I recommend large or extra-large eggs since the only liquid in this cookie comes from the eggs.
Almond Extract: My favorite flavoring for Italian cookies!
Making Italian Bones Cookies
This recipe is a simple one! Only 5 ingredients! The hardest part is shaping the cookies, which you probably mastered in preschool using play-doh!
Start by whisking the flour and baking powder. Set this aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the eggs and powdered sugar until the sugar is completely mixed in. Add the almond extract and give it a quick stir.
Add the flour mixture a bit at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until it’s all mixed together.
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel to help the dough stay moist as you work.
No need to prepare your work surface in any way. The dough should be dry enough not to stick.
Here’s where your preschool skills really come in handy: Grab off a portion of the dough and roll it into a skinny rope to a width of 3/4″ (which is about the width of your pinkie). Then, cut the rope into pieces 1 1/2″ long.
Transfer each cookie onto a greased cookie sheet to dry out for 12-24 hours. Since the cookies are just waiting here to dry, you don’t need much room between the cookies.
This is how closely I put my cookies on the baking sheet. Now let them sit somewhere out of the way.
As the cookies dry out, the outer layer will harden and form a shell.
Here are my cookies, all dried out. I let them dry for a full day so I could bake in the morning.
To prepare for baking, transfer cookies to another greased baking sheet, leaving space between your cookies.
As you place your cookies in the hot oven, all that baking powder is activated by the heat, causing bubbles to form. The outer shell doesn’t let the cookie expand, so the soft inner dough explodes out of the last soft spot on the bottom of the cookie and the “marrow” spills out of the cookie onto the baking sheet.
Keep a close eye on these cookies in the oven. Don’t let them brown. Check them at the minimum baking time. When they’re done, the marrow will have a slight golden brown on the bottom edge.
Remove the cookies immediately and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing Italian Bones Cookies
Store tightly covered up to 3 days for maximum freshness.
Can I Freeze Italian Bones Cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze very well!
Because bones cookies are supposed to be brittle and crisp, you can even eat them frozen! My husband thinks I’m crazy for doing this, but they’re even crunchier when they’re frozen, so I love it!
Happy Baking!
Italian Bones Cookies (Ossa dei Morti)
Equipment
- electric mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour (340 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar (450 grams)
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In medium bowl, whisk flour and baking powder to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix eggs and powdered sugar until well-combined. Add almond flavoring. Add flour mixture a bit at a time until fully incorporated.
- Keep bowl covered with damp tea towel while you work to keep dough moist.
- Take a portion of dough and roll it into a rope about the width of your pinkie finger (¾" wide). Cut the rope into 1 ½" long pieces.
- Lay cookies on a greased baking sheet to dry for 12-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer cookies to a new greased baking sheet leaving room between cookies for spread.
- Bake 7-10 minutes. Cookies are done when the "marrow" has a light golden brown along the bottom edge. Do not allow bones portion to brown.
- Immediately remove to wire rack to cool completely.
- Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- 4 cups powdered sugar is equal to 1 pound. For simplicity, you can buy a 1-lb package and dump it all in!
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