Italian Christmas Cookies (Esquela/Scaweli)
My Mother made her fabulous Italian Christmas cookies every year. So I started that tradition with my son. I called them “scawelis”, as I always thought that’s the way they were pronounced. Well, a few year years ago before my Mom went to Heaven, I went over all of her wonderful recipes with her. When I asked her about her deep-fried Christmas cookies, “scawelis” she laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes. She said, “You mean “esquela?” Oh well, mispronounced, maybe? We both got a good laugh out of it. I was only a child when I started calling them “scawelis” and I guess that is what I will always call them. So I share this wonderful Christmas tradition recipe with you. Enjoy! Merrt Christmas!
Don’t forget to make time to spend with your mother and father and get memories and recipes from them. You only get one chance to enjoy your life with them.
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Esquela (Scaweli)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups cake flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter, cold
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Oil for deep-frying
½ cup honey
Colored sugar sprinkles
Preparation:
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until well blended. Stir in eggs; mix thoroughly. Knead on a floured board until dough is elastic. Cover dough and let rest 1 hour. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each part to an 8” x 10” x 1/8” rectangle. Cut into strips 8” long and ¾” wide. Tie each strip into a loose knot. Fry in hot (375º) oil 3 to 4 at a time, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Heat honey in a small saucepan. Dip each fried knot into honey. Place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles.
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