Italian Bowknot Cookies

Rating: 4 stars
11 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 1

Great unusual fried cookies--the original name is 'Cenci alla Fiorentina.' It came from my Italian cousins. I used these for a bake sale once and ran out before I even got started!

By Pat
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Ingredients

24
Original recipe yields 24 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Cut in the butter until well-blended. Stir in the eggs and mix thoroughly.

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  • Knead dough on a floured surface until dough is elastic. Let dough rest for 1 hour.

  • Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

  • Divide dough into 4 parts, keeping each piece covered until ready to use. Roll each piece into a thin rectangle, about 8x10 inches. Cut dough into strips about 8 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Tie each strip into loose knot.

  • Fry cookies in hot oil 3 to 4 at a time, until golden brown. Transfer cookies to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain well and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and honey, if desired. Serve hot or cold. Store any uneaten cookies in an airtight container (see Editor's Note).

Editor's Notes:

Drizzle the honey on the cookies just before serving; if you're planning on storing them, omit the honey.

Tips

We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount may vary depending on cook time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
144.1 calories; 1.4 g protein; 23.2 g carbohydrates; 19.3 mg cholesterol; 66.4 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

Reviews (10)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

#1hockeymom
Rating: 4 stars
06/28/2007
The reviews posted must not be from an Italian! This was a good recipe. The directions are just what I have been taught from my grandmother. If your cookies are not crisp then your oil isn't hot enough. If there not good the 2nd day then you haven't used air tight storage. To keep the cookies at there best you should wait until serving to put the honey on them. Oh and no this isn't a quick cookies to make. Plan on taking your time and know that you will be at this for a while. My only other suggestion is that you can cut the dough into dimonds and slice a slit in the middle and fold one side through the hole then fry. Read More
Helpful
(33)

Most helpful critical review

kjstrom
Rating: 1 stars
10/20/2009
Glad this recipe worked for others. I had no luck. Read More
Helpful
(6)
11 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 1
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
#1hockeymom
Rating: 4 stars
06/27/2007
The reviews posted must not be from an Italian! This was a good recipe. The directions are just what I have been taught from my grandmother. If your cookies are not crisp then your oil isn't hot enough. If there not good the 2nd day then you haven't used air tight storage. To keep the cookies at there best you should wait until serving to put the honey on them. Oh and no this isn't a quick cookies to make. Plan on taking your time and know that you will be at this for a while. My only other suggestion is that you can cut the dough into dimonds and slice a slit in the middle and fold one side through the hole then fry. Read More
Helpful
(33)
bella
Rating: 4 stars
12/10/2007
Apparently some of you are not bakers. You cannot drench a fried cookie in honey. This is a time consuming and must have patience recipe. My family bakes them often and they stay for days if stored in an airtight container. After the cookies come out of the fryer drain on paper towels then sift powdered sugar all over them. Drizzle the honey right before being served not before you store them.Drizzle is the operative word. Try the recipe again. I had to make several batches before I got them right. Read More
Helpful
(16)
D
Rating: 4 stars
09/30/2009
This is a decent recipe. At my house there were some additions to the recipe that strengthen the success of this fabulous cookie. A teaspoon of vanilla or orange extract will liven it up. Besdies the already noted input that the oil needs to be HOT as hot as you can go without burning the oil the cookies themselves should be thin. The thinnner you can get them the better they will fry and the crisper and less oily they will appear. While shopping at a local Italian market in San Diego I came across a cute little cookie company Cookies con Amore that actually makes these in a variety of flavors. They did not have the honey but they were REALLY close to what my Nonna used to make! Read More
Helpful
(10)
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clasicallytrained
Rating: 4 stars
12/08/2008
we may not all be bakers and obviously even bakers make mistakes but the recipe is pretty well written. The key to these cookies is the temperature of your oil I would suggest frying some test strips but what do I know I'm obviously not a baker Read More
Helpful
(9)
kcondict
Rating: 5 stars
12/08/2007
Ican't believe that I finally found this recipe. My grandmother use to make these all the time but she called them ribbons. Had the recipe but direction were not very good. thank you so much Read More
Helpful
(9)
kjstrom
Rating: 1 stars
10/20/2009
Glad this recipe worked for others. I had no luck. Read More
Helpful
(6)
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Anne G
Rating: 5 stars
12/22/2010
Just finised making these..Just like my mom used to make with the exception of the butter. Can't keep up with my family...I think they are eating them faster than I can fry them up...Thank you...they are perfect. Read More
Helpful
(5)
Judi
Rating: 4 stars
02/29/2012
I have been making these with my Italian mom for years as this was her favorite cookie. These keep well for weeks in kept in air tight containers which may be hard to find as these are large and fragile cookies. We did add flavorings like vanilla or anise or rum to enrich the flavor. We also used the pasta machine instead of rolling out with 6 selections on the machine we rolled to number 5 then cut them into strips and made a slit in the center pulling one end through the slot making a bowtie effect. Mom would roll and I would cut. We dusted with XXX sugar when cooled but did not use honey. Mom is gone but these cookies remind of her often and make them just in her honor. smokeygal Read More
Helpful
(3)
Gini
Rating: 3 stars
01/08/2014
Mine puffed up - not flat. I did refrigerate the dough overnight - could that have been the problem? Read More
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