The bones of the dead or “oss di mort” in Lombard dialect, are delicious, simple and fragrant cookies made for All Souls’ Day. Made with almonds, hazelnuts, cinnamon, and cloves shaped like bones. Ideal for dipping in milk for breakfast or serving with tea in the afternoon. Also try mein di morti made with cornmeal, eggs, sugar, and butter or witch’s fingers for Halloween, delicious shortcrust cookies garnished with cherry jam and almonds.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 30 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Lombardy
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups blanched almonds
- 1 1/3 cups whole skinless hazelnuts
- 3 1/2 tbsps Marsala wine
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves (in powder form)
- to taste ground cinnamon
Tools
- Kitchen Scale
- Food Processor
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Steps
To prepare the bones of the dead cookies…
In the food processor, place the blanched almonds and whole skinless hazelnuts, then finely grind them into a flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or simply in a bowl, add the finely ground almonds and hazelnuts.
Then add the sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and a pinch of fine salt.
Mix at low speed with the stand mixer or, if working by hand, mix the dry ingredients with a spoon, then add the eggs and start kneading, increasing the mixer speed.
Moisten the dough with Marsala wine until it becomes pliable. It will be slightly sticky.
Take a small amount of dough at a time and form pieces about 2 inches long (I made some shorter and some longer) and shape them like bones, it doesn’t matter if they are not perfect. You can lightly flour your hands to work with them better.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F in convection mode for 20 minutes until they are slightly golden.
Once the bones of the dead are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool before enjoying.
