Marriage Cookies / Biscotti Sposalizi

Name: Marriage Cookies / Biscotti Sposalizi
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups King Arthur™ Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour, sifted; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, or ½ cup solid vegetable shortening; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa; 1/4 cup coarsely ground walnuts; 1 cup raisins, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup milk; FROSTING; 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 teaspoon unsalted butter or margarine, softened; 1 teaspoon rum extract; Colored sprinkles; INGREDIENTS

When I got married, my mother made not only my wedding cake but also a huge assortment of the traditional Italian cookies. A few weeks before the wedding, my aunts were pressed into service to bake chocolate bride’s cookies, vanilla- and anise-flavored cookies, seed cookies, wedding knot cookies, “S” cookies, and a host of others; There were literally bushels of cookies. Samples of each type were wrapped in colorful netting, tied with silver ribbons, and given to each guest to take home.

Yield: 3 to 4 Dozen

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups King Arthur™ Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour, sifted
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, or ½ cup solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup milk
FROSTING
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon rum extract
Colored sprinkles
INGREDIENTS

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. In a bowl, beat the flour and butter or shortening until well blended. Add the sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, nuts, and raisins and mix well. Add the milk and mix well to make a soft dough.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until firm. Cool on wire racks before frosting.
In a bowl, mix all the frosting ingredients until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookies into the frosting, place on wire racks, and sprinkle tops with colored sprinkles. Let the frosting dry completely before layering the cookies between wax paper.