Twist Cookies

These are some cookies my grandmother made. I can remember my great grandmother used to make them all the time, and then passed the recipe down to my grandmother. I have the recipe as well. The reason we don't make them so often anymore is they contain a somewhat obscure ingredient - ammonium bicarbonate, not to be confused with poisonous household ammonia. Ammonium bicarbonate is a leavening agent that was more popular before baking powder and baking soda came along. It allows baked goods to rise and gives them a bit more characteristic crunch. It is used in only small amounts in order to avoid inputting an unpleasant flavor or odor, and is most commonly seen today in cookie and biscuit recipes. Some specialty food stores and Italian shops still carry it, but it can be difficult to find.

These cookies remind me a lot of biscotti, as they are very crunchy and dry, but these are only baked once. I consider them an Italian cookie as well, since my Italian grandmother made them. They are just made for dunking. My brothers and I always preferred milk, but they are also good in tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or even a dessert wine. The most difficult part of this cookie is creating the twisted braids, so sometimes my grandmother would skip this step and just make them into long ovals. Either way, they always tasted delicious!