Tetù (Sicilian spice cookies)

Maybe some of you follow me on social media (@radicisiciliane) and I quickly shared a little story about how when I was little I took some raw cookie balls while my mother and my zia were making them — and threw them at the ceiling. They stuck (that is how perfectly moist they are) and left a little brown spot (after it finally fell off) for a while until my mother, typical Italian style mother, figured out how to scrub a ceiling clean.

Well these are the cookies.

These cookies have gotten my family through 7 weddings (even when a sibling got married out of town, boxes of these cookies and others, made their way to wherever the wedding was being celebrated). Funeral — someone whole bring a tray of them, and of course Christmas. These were always a Christmas favorite.

My mother had been making them and sending them off to all her kids every year, but not last year or this year. So I’ve really had to step up. My daughter, Sula, insisted we make them this year, and I was really happy to hear her say it — these cookies are chocolate-ly but also spices like clove, nutmeg, etc, along with bitter orange peel. Not always a taste kids like. But I guess kids learn to appreciate these flavors, eventually.

So without too much talk (my father always said to me I was a ciccirone- anyone know what that means? lol) here is the recipe I use for Tetù— which is not the name we called them growing up — we just called them chocolate spice cookies, but of course they have a name. And the name means “one for you, one for me”

They are the cookie to share.

Make lots, share lots. Tell me how they turned out.

dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped (optional — I sometimes throw in some mini chocolate chips)

• zest of 1 orange

• 1 large egg lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup milk

glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 3 tsp milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl sift together all-purpose flour; sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder; cinnamon; cloves; nutmeg; baking powder and a pinch of salt.

• Add cubed butter (at room temperature) and use your fingers just like nonna did, to cut the butter into the flour.

• Stir in finely chopped walnuts - or mini chocolate chips — or nothing at all — and orange zest.

• Make a well in the center of the mixture and add a beaten egg, stir into the flour. Stir in the milk and shape into a dough. Add extra milk, if necessary, to ensure that the dough holds together. The dough will be quite firm and slightly sticky. At this point, I prefer using my hands to gather the dough together and shape it into a ball.

• Scoop pieces of dough using a cookie scoop for even sizing (apprize 1 tablespoon) and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. They do not have to be placed too far apart as they don't spread much during baking.

• Bake for 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the glaze.

To glaze

• In a medium sized bowl whisk powdered sugar and milk until you have a glaze of desired consistency. I prefer my glaze on the thin side. Dip the tops of each cookie in the glaze allowing the excess to drip off. Transfer to the wire rack to set. Alternately, you may use a pastry brush to apply the glaze. 

• Once the glaze has hardened, store the cookies in an airtight container separating layers of cookies with wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.