Befana Cookie Recipe

Donna and Aggieb asked me to post this recipe so here it goes. It's a very sentimental recipe for my family...

This cookie recipe is for a traditional Italian cookie called Befana that is named after the Christmas witch (la Befana) who leaves Italian children goodies on the Epiphany. My grandmother, mother, me, and now the kids have made this cookie recipe, now going on 4 generations. The recipe is an adaptation of Mrs. Lucchesi's recipe, who I remember as having that white/blue hair when I was growing up.

Makes 50 medium-size cookies

Cookie:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups flour
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Nut Meringue Topping
2 egg whites
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I use a small electric chopper to chop them so that they get fine enough -- they really should be quite fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons rum extract

To make cookie: Soften butter in a bowl and cream with sugar and the 2 eggs and 2 yolks. Mix in lemon extract and vanilla extract. Add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder and mix well, but do not work dough too much. Refrigerate dough for at least two hours. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut with different shaped cookie cutters, working quickly so dough doesn't soften. Keep unused portion in refrigerator until ready to use. Using a spatula, carefully place cookies on greased cookie sheets.

To make topping: While the dough is in the refrigerator and right before you take it out to roll and cut out the cookie dough, make the topping. Mix nuts, sugar, and flavorings together in a bowl. Beat two egg whites until stiff and fold in mixed ingredients. Place one small teaspoon of topping in the center of each unbaked cookie and then bake the cookie for 20-25 minutes in a preheated 300 - 325 degree oven until lightly browned. This is an old recipe, so the baking time is designed to make the cookies come out hard. I like to underbake them a bit so that they come out softer (I think our taste buds have changed over the decades), so I cook them for about 15 minutes so that they don't get crispy. Remove cookies to cookie racks. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.