Nonna's Italian Rose Christmas Cookies

Introduction by Kevin's mother Barbara Adolfi: The Rose Christmas cookie was but one of the many Italian cookies made by our nonna Teresa Ceravolo. The Rose, a cross-pollination between recipes of our grandmother and a Jewish neighbor, became the coveted favorite of family and friends in our hometown, Rome, N.Y. Just thinking about these delectable mounds of walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar brings the warmest memories of family to our hearts.

CREDITS: ADAPTED BY KEVIN MORSE, BARBARA ADOLFI AND JERILYN BRUSSEAU

Prep Time

1 hour 15 minutes + 15 minutes

Bake Time

10-11 minutes

Total Time

1 hour 40 minutes

Yield

36 cookies

Varietal

Organic Edison T85 All-Purpose Flour

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

6 eggs (358g), extra-large, whole

½ cup (100g) sugar, white granulated

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (79g) organic canola oil

4 teaspoons (16g) vanilla extract

3 heaping teaspoonfuls (20g) baking powder

½ teaspoon (3g) salt

4½ cups (648g) Organic Edison all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (18g) additional flour, if needed

For the Walnut-Cinnamon Sugar Filling

2½ cups (228g) walnuts

½ cup (100g) sugar

1 ¼ teaspoon (3g) Saigon Cinnamon (or your favorite cinnamon)

¼ teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon vanilla

Baker's Notes

Depending on your preferences, you may wish to increase the cinnamon to 1½ teaspoons and the cloves to ½ teaspoon to peak the flavor.

Instructions

For the Walnut-Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  1. Chop walnuts into 1/8" pieces.
  2. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves. Stir in vanilla.
  3. Cover and set aside.

To make the cookie dough:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the rack in the center of the oven.
  2. Break the eggs into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat well until light and creamy. 3-4 minutes.
  3. With a mixer running on low speed, slowly add sugar and canola oil. Beat well.
  4. Add vanilla, beat well.
  5. In separate bowl, combine 4½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend well.
  6. With a mixer running on low speed, slowly add ½ cup of the flour mixture.
  7. Slowly add the remaining flour and beat well for 3 minutes. The dough will be soft and sticky. Use a plastic scraper to remove the dough from the mixer bowl.
  8. Place the dough in a smaller bowl lined with plastic wrap. Cover with the lid for 15 minutes to allow the dough to rest.
  9. After the rest, the dough will have absorbed the oil and will be much easier to handle. If needed, work in 2 additional tablespoons of flour by hand.
  10. Rub your countertop or rolling surface with canola oil. Turn half of the dough onto the counter. Cover the remaining dough with a plastic wrap.
  11. Roll the dough 1/8" thick into a rectangle 17" long x 11" deep.
  12. Sprinkle half of the walnut-sugar mixture over the dough. Spread evenly over the entire rectangle.
  13. Starting with long edge, roll the dough into a tight log, starting with a long edge, being sure to keep the walnut-sugar mixture inside the roll. Cut into 1" pieces and place, cut side down, 2" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  14. Turn each piece on its side.
  15. From Kevin’s Italian family: "Pinch the center. Encircle the bottom half of the cookie with thumb and two fingers. Squeeze to open flower and set on end onto cookie sheet."
  16. With a pastry brush, brush each cookie lightly with organic canola oil.
  17. Bake for 14-15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.
  18. Cool on a rack and store in a tightly closed container.

Baker's Notes

Depending on your preferences, you may wish to increase the cinnamon to 1½ teaspoons and the cloves to ½ teaspoon to peak the flavor.

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