Italian cookies

[domar11]

I've been using this recipe for years. Everyone loves these cookies.
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks of high fat margarine
1/2 cup sour ceam
3 large eggs
1 tsp. flavoring (your choice)

Mix dry ingredients; BY HAND: beat eggs, add margarine, sour cream, sugar, flavoring. Add dry ingredients one cup at a time, mixing with wooded spoon until all ingredients are incorporated. Dough is slightly sticky. Using small ice cream scoop, bake 375 - 7 minutes. I do not have a convection oven. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes and remove to rack. Frost when completely cooled.

My problem is using the Kitchen Aid changes the entire consistency of the dough no matter how slow I mix it. I've even tired the mixer for the wet ingredients only and still had a problem. Also, I've tried butter in place of margarine - no good. Too much spreading. Another question I have is when the cookies come out of the oven they are puffed up beautifully. As they cool they collapse slightly. WHY? I now have to make many, many batches of these cookies for a restaurant and would like some information explaining why by hand is better than using a mixer. It's time consuming by hand and tiring also. Thank you.

[Addie]

Try to place the dough in the fridge to reduce any spreading. While that one batch is cooling, start the next batch. When you use the mixer, you are creating gluten. By letting the dough rest in the fridge, the gluten is relaxing.

There are all kinds of Italian cookies. Do these cookies have any other name? Sounds like they are Confetti Sugar sprinkled cookies.

Confetti-Sprinkled Butter Cookies / Tarallini con Brinato e Confettini

I have made these quite often and have never had a problem with them. Notice you have to mix the dry ingredients into the wet with your hands.

[Kathleen]

Those cookies sound great, Addie!

Welcome to DC, Dormar!

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Those cookies sound great, Addie!

Welcome to DC, Dormar!

They are a very basic Italian sugar cookie. I grew up in this town and it was all Italian. I think I was the only non-Italian. It was the first cookie we learned to make in cooking class in the seventh grade. I always use lemon or orange extract instead of the almond. Family favorite flavor. When I made them at home, my mother had a wood burning stove. They came out fine even then. They are almost fool proof.

[domar11]

Thank you for your advice. The glutin effect I never considered. You're probably right in that respect. I'll keep it in mind. In response, I do not mix the dry into the wet ingredients with my hands, I use a wooden spoon and stir in the flour, etc. I also put the trays in the frige while one is in the oven. Also, I refrigerate the dough while waiting if my kitchen is getting too warm. I also use lemon as my flavoring and sometimes grate the lemon peel into the batter. For the holidays, I also use almond extract. I really don't know what the correct name of these cookies are. My mother told me many years ago, learn to make the "Italian cookies", they're always a hit. She was right.

[msmofet]

Are these them?

Here is a link to a recipe:
Italian Iced Anise Cookies Sugar.Betty: Iced Anise Cookies

[domar11]

These cookies look exactly like mine, but your recipe is slightly different. I do agree that anise is great in these cookies, but you can't please everybody. I'm going to give your recipe a try and compare the two. I follow up with you.
Thanks, Marie

[Kathleen]

Thanks, Addie! And they are pretty too if they look like MsM's picture! Which extract do you prefer?