Italian Christmas Cookies (Esquela/Scaweli)

My Mother made her fabulous Italian Christmas cookies every year. So I started that tradition with my son. I called them "scawelis", as I always thought that's the way they were pronounced. Well, a few year years ago before my Mom went to Heaven, I went over all of her wonderful recipeswith her. When I asked her about her deep-fried Christmas cookies, "scawelis" she laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes. She said, "You mean "esquela?" Oh well, mispronounced, maybe? We both got a good laugh out of it. I was only a child when I started calling them "scawelis" and I guess that is what I will always call them. So I share this wonderful Christmas tradition recipe with you. Enjoy!

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Esquela (Scaweli)

1 ½ cups cake flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons butter, cold

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Oil for deep-frying

½ cup honey

Colored sugar sprinkles

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until well blended. Stir in eggs; mix thoroughly. Knead on a floured board until dough is elastic. Cover dough and let rest 1 hour. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each part to an 8” x 10” x 1/8” rectangle. Cut into strips 8” long and ¾” wide. Tie each strip into a loose knot. Fry in hot (375º) oil 3 to 4 at a time, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat honey in a small saucepan. Dip each fried knot into honey. Place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles.

From: Precocious Patti (http://www.triciashomeplate.com/)