Before I do anything else, I have to thank my blogger buddy Jill at NJFoodventure for letting me use her family recipe for this Italian Sprinkle Cookies post.
Why are Italian Sprinkle Cookies the book-inspired recipe for The Supreme Macaroni Company?
Like any respectable book centered around an Italian-American family, The Supreme Macaroni Company abounds with food porn. We’re talking seafood, pastries, cookies, pasta…you name it, and it’s described in mouth-watering detail. The author even mentioned an eatery I visited on my NYC food tour!
Jill first posted a photo of Italian Sprinkle Cookies (called “Italian Cut Cookies” on her blog) on her Instagram around Easter. After wiping the drool from my chin, I started thinking they would be the perfect book-inspired recipe for The Supreme Macaroni Company.
These glazed and sprinkled confections look like classic Italian cookies that appeared on the cookie platters of my youth.
And, bonus: Jill is from an Italian-American family in New Jersey, just like me. And just like main character Val.
The stars started to align…
The clincher was when I found out that the Italian Sprinkle Cookie recipe is actually from Jill’s great-grandmother.
A 100+ year old cookie recipe that was originally made by a little Italian grandma?
Perfetto.
I promptly emailed Jilly to ask (read: beg) if I could use this as my book-inspired recipe, and she very kindly and generously agreed.
Italian Sprinkle Cookies are NOT biscotti
Disclaimer: These Italian Sprinkle Cookies look a lot like biscotti. But, they’re not biscotti. I repeat: they are not biscotti.
Which is awesome, because I hate biscotti. Too hard, too dry, too easy to crack a tooth on.
The cookies you see here are so much better. They’re amazingly soft and tender, more of a Southern tea cake than a cookie.
Can a cookie be “refreshing”? Because that is the best way to describe these beauties. The delicate flavor sends you to lemon heaven: zest in the light, airy batter and zest in the delicate glaze. It’s a summer day spent along the Mediterranean captured in a cookie.
Also, SPRINKLES. *all the heart eyes* SPRINKLES FOR DAYS.
Advice for baking Italian Sprinkle Cookies
A personal recommendation from my baking adventures: Jill recommends baking a “test log.” YOU SHOULD DO THIS.
My first attempted log was WAY too big and engulfed the entire baking tray like The Blob. I carefully followed Jill’s instructions for the next few batches, and the Italian Sprinkle Cookies turned out perfectly. I got 2 short logs on each baking sheet.
You all know I started baking with my grandmother and that some of my favorite cookies are salvaged from her recipe box. So, it was a real treat to make a recipe handed down from someone else’s grandma. Many thanks again to Jill for letting me use her family recipe!
What do you serve with Italian Sprinkle Cookies?
Serve Italian Sprinkle Cookies after an Italian-inspired feast of Chilled Seafood Salad, Creamy Tomato Pasta, Creamy Pesto Pasta, Tarragon Chicken, or Sunday Night Chicken Dinner.
For dessert, these cookies pair great with Authentic Anisette Cookies and Blood Orange Tart with Mascarpone Whipped Cream.
You can find the recipe for Italian Sprinkle Cookies (a.k.a., Italian Cut Cookies) on Jill’s blog: https://njfoodventure.blogspot.com/2021/04/italian-cut-cookies.html
Kind of like Italian fairy bread. I like it!
I had to look up fairy bread, lol. I would say this is different since it’s a homemade lemon cake covered in glaze and sprinkles; the only thing that’s the same is the sprinkles. But, honestly, that’s the only thing we need, right? SPRINKLES!!