KANSAS CITY, MO — The holidays are about making memories, and many of those moments are centered around food. Jasper Mirabile Jr. of Jasper’s shares a cookie recipe that is very near and dear to his heart.
Nana Mirabile’s Italian Christmas Cookies
Yield: 8 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1½ cups (340 g) Plugrá Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (90 g) confectioners' sugar
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup (85 g) finely chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups (375 g) sifted all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (40 g) confectioner’s sugar for rolling (or more)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add nuts and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually on low speed and mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1½ hours.
Shape into balls using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Do not brown.
Cool slightly. Roll in the extra confectioner’s sugar.
Note: These cookies are very tender. If you’re planning on shipping them, increase the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly browned. This helps them to be a little firmer when cooled.
Chef Jasper’s Notes: In almost any Italian home, whether it be in Italy, or here in North America, most families prepare specific traditional cookies each Christmas, and often those recipes have been handed down through their families for generations. I am honored to share my Mama and Nana's recipe that has been made in my family since the late 1800s.