Ossi di Morti

This classic Sicilian cookie is traditionally made for All Souls' Day, November 1st (ossi di morti is
Italian for "bones of the dead"), but nobody will mind if make them a little in advance for
Halloween. The directions call for the cookies to be dried for three days - yes, three days before
baking. You can dry them overnight and you still get an acceptable product, but if you bake them
sooner they'll spread and darken and you'll think, "These aren't bonelike at all!" Let them dry
uncovered as instructed, however, and you'll get unusually crisp and eerily white bones, perfect
for dipping in a cup of hot chocolate (or a glass of Italian dessert wine).

2 eggs

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or 1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and
lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the confectioners' sugar, beating
for another 5 minutes.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and cloves in a small bowl, and add to the egg mixture in 4
parts, incorporating each addition fully before adding the next.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board that you won't need for a few days and
shape it into a square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the cookies into 36 rectangles, separating them
with the knife so that there's 1 inch between them.

4. Leave the cookies to dry, uncovered, at room temperature, for a full 24 hours, or, ideally, up to
3 days.

5. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease 2 baking sheets and have ready a small bowl of hot tap
water. Dip just the underside of each cookie in the water, leaving the top surface dry, and place
on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, until there's a little pool of golden sugar around each
cookie, but the tops are still bone white. Cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in a tightly
covered container... well, indefinitely.