Taralli Cookies

If you grew up in an Italian American household, you know these cookies.

Taralli are those little ring-shaped beauties that showed up on every holiday cookie tray, every christening, every Sunday dinner when Nonna was feeling generous.

The dough is straightforward: eggs, butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and enough flour to make it firm but still soft and workable.

Roll pieces into little ropes, loop them into rings, and bake until they’re just set but not browned.

Once they cool, dip each ring into a simple vanilla icing and hit them with rainbow sprinkles while the glaze is still wet.

They’re not fancy. They’re not trying to be. They’re just the kind of cookie that tastes like home.

Variations

• Lemon glaze. Swap the water in the icing for fresh lemon juice and add a teaspoon of lemon zest for a citrusy version.
• Anise flavor. Replace the vanilla extract with anise extract in both the dough and the icing for a more traditional Southern Italian taste.
• Chocolate dip. Skip the icing and dip cooled taralli halfway into melted dark chocolate for a dressed-up version.

Kitchen Tips

• Flour your hands generously. This dough is sticky. Keep your hands well-floured while rolling, and the ropes will shape smoothly.
• Join the ends firmly. Press and pinch where the ring meets itself so it doesn’t pop open during baking.
• Don’t overbake. These should stay pale. Golden brown taralli will be too hard and dry once they cool.