CALLA LILY COOKIES
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with vegetable oil spray.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl for 5 minutes, until lemon-colored. Add the sugar with the machine running, and beat another 3 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then beat into egg mixture for 2 minutes. Stir in the extract. The batter will be very thin, similar to a pancake batter.
Use a tablespoon to drop batter in 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-inch circles on cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches in between to allow for spreading.
Bake about 5 minutes, watching carefully; the edges should just lightly brown.
Remove cookie sheet from oven and while cookies are hot roll each into a calla shape, pinching the bottom and rolling the sides inward, then slightly folding back the top in a calla lily shape. Place seam-side down to cool. Store in airtight container. When ready to serve, fill cone as desired.
NOTES:
"My great aunt always called these Easter Lily cookies. She filled the center with sweetened mascarpone cheese, and placed tiny pieces of yellow citron at the center so it looked like the stamen. I find a whipped cream center, though more fragile, is more suited to the lightness of the cookie. It's best to make the cookies, then wait to fill them until just before serving. Experience has taught me to bake only one sheet at a time, since you must work very quickly to shape the cones before the cookies harden. You can, of course, serve these with no filling, too." - Linda Cicero
Makes 10 large cookies or 20 small
Source: Linda Cicero, Miami Herald, April 12, 2007 |