Simple Italian Wedding Cookies with Brandy and Preserves

Some of the very best Italian cookie recipes are those designed for weddings-- where special cookies are a tradition. Perhaps that come from the Italian tradition of a "cookie dance," where the bride and groom dance their way to a table of dessert cookies along with their guests. The symbolism here is quite simple: that life for the couple be as sweet as the treats served!

This recipe is for a standard Italian wedding cookie, and will make about 100 cookies.

Ingredients:
2 C. sugar
8 large eggs
2 C. vegetable oil
8 C. sifted flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Fruit preserves, as needed
Fruit brandy, as needed
Granulated sugar, as needed

Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet lightly.

2. Mix together the sugar, eggs, oil, flour, extract, and baking powder. (Note that you may need to add a little more flour to get the right consistency to form balls out of the dough.)

3. Form the dough into 1" balls then press them flat with a spoon (leave a little indentation so you can fill it later with the preserves.

4. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown.

5. After cooling, lightly brush each cookie with brandy and fill the center with a dollop of fruit preserves. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top and serve.

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