Friday 8 April 2011

G is for Genetti

If you're from the Sault you know what genetti are.  If you're not, you need to make these cookies.

Let's start with a picture. Here's a recent batch Aunty Anna made for the lucky folks in Saskatchewan.  The Easter colours aren't traditional; usually the icing would be white.  But for Easter, these are pretty:


Here's Cousin Sam's recipe for our grandmother's Genetti.
6 eggs (Ma says to use XL but I only use large)
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 cups flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1-2 tsp anise (I always use 1 1/2 tsp.)
1 cup sugar
Mix all ingredients by hand. Once mixed, to make the genetti shape, take a small amount of the mixture and form into a log shape and then twist, place on cookie sheet. 
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, but check the bottoms on them after 8-9 minutes.  Once the bottoms are a nice golden brown, take them out immediately. Cool on wire rack.
Icing -- icing sugar and water.  I always fill up a cereal bowl with icing sugar and add a little bit of water and mix well with a spoon until smooth. Make sure it is nice and white looking and not watery or it won't look or taste good.
I always put a piece of waxed paper on my counter and put the genettis on a wire cooling rack and ice them and let the drip go onto the waxed paper.
I know my grandmother would be happy to share the recipe and may your home smell of genetti.
Sam tells me her genetti taste just as good as Ma's -- so good her dad couldn't tell them apart back when Ma was still making them.

I've only made them once.  I'll tell you, it takes some practice to roll them as evenly as Aunty Anna does.  My Mom frequently makes genetti, but with her arthritis she just can't roll them into the traditional genetti shape. Mom adds a bit of vanilla to the cookie base and some anise to the icing.  She makes them as a drop cookies and they taste just as good.

Who else makes genetti?  Secrets to rolling them?  Fresh batch?  Please share!

6 comments:

  1. Wow...I'm from the east coast of Canada, I've never heard of these, they look amazing! I'm going to give them a try!! Found you from the A-Z Challenge, I’m now following you on GFC and I hope you have a chance to check out my blog!
    Monica
    http://oldermommystillyummy.blogspot.com/

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  2. I'm loving your recipes too, Monica. I understand some Calabrese Italians make a similar looking cookie with a lemon flavour. I'm sure that would be nice -- unless you grew up on these anise-flavoured ones. I look forward to posting more family recipes here and there. Hope you enjoy them.

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  3. ahh I LOVE these.. i usually make them with gramma at christmas. i remember the first time i did. grandpa comes into the kitchen looks at the few i had just pulled out of the oven says.. MARY what the hell did you do to these. i said grandpa i made them. he takes one takes a bite and says these are the best looking best tasting ive ever had. It made me laugh, when he thought she had done them they werent right but when he realized i had done them they were the best. He just couldnt hurt my feelings!! and on that note. they were horrible looking!!

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  4. Babymommacollins9 October 2015 at 15:14

    hi I'm from sault ste marie Ontario Canada. I love this recipe I'm going to try making it right now but I was wondering if you knew how many this recipe makes

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for the delay. I don't know the quantity. It has been a while since I made the recipe. ~Kate

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