Cookie

Italian Carnevale Crisps

The secret to making these treats light and ungreasy is to roll the dough paper thin. If you don’t have a pasta maker, manually roll it, a small portion at a time, until you can almost see through it.

1 1/2 cups flour

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons butter, diced

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons marsala wine

Grated zest of 1 lemon or 1/2 orange

Sunflower or light vegetable oil

Confectioners’ sugar

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. To the well, add the eggs, butter, sugar, salt and Marsala. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids, working with your fingers, until a dough forms. Adjust consistency with a few more drops of marsala or a bit more flour if necessary.

Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (This is key to getting those pretty little bubbles on the dough when you fry it.)

Working in small batches, run the dough through a pasta machine, starting at the thickest opening and ending at the thinnest. Lay the strips of thin dough on a clean cotton canvas cloth or lightly floured work surface.

Cut the dough into whatever shapes you like with a curly-edged ravioli cutter or knife. One common shape is a rectangle about 31/2 inches long by 2 inches wide with a 2-inch slit in the center

Pour 1 inch oil into a deep pot and heat to 335 degrees or until hot enough that a small bit of thin dough rises to the top in a second or two. Fry the dough in batches until lightly barely golden (They fry very quickly.) Drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Dust both sides with lots of confectioners’ sugar and serve at room temperature. Store airtight. Makes about 5 dozen.

Per cookie: 20 calories (26 percent from fat), 0.6 g fat (0.3 g saturated, 0.2 g monounsaturated), 7.2 mg cholesterol, 0.5 g protein, 2.9 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 25 mg sodium.