Skeleton and Bone Cookies

“Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you, and your future is a a skeleton walking one step in front of you. Maybe you don't wear a watch, but your skeletons do, and they always know what time it is.”
― Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Samhain, of the Celts, used fires and disguises to confuse the unsettle souls who had passed.  When the Romans took over the Celts, 43A.D., they brought their own festivals, that celebrated the dead and ways to get rid of bad spirits.  Then the Catholic Church abolished those festivals and made up the festival of All Martyrs and centuries later, Pope Gregory (of the Gregorian calendar?) added in All Saints to it.  Later the Catholics changed all the names and dates so that Celtic Samhain and the practice of purifying the house, warding off the dead, and began making bone cookies.  In Italy, the baking of bone cookies is still done, using the almonds that are ready at this time of year. 

This is an old Sicilian recipe that is a family tradition. They need to sit overnight before baking.

Bones of the Dead Cookies - Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1.    Sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and cloves. Make a well in the sugar mixture, and pour the eggs into the well. Work the eggs into the mixture, first with a fork, then with your hands, until you have a smooth dough.

2.    Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rest overnight. Cookies will spread.

3.    Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4.    Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove cookies from pan immediately as they come out of the oven or they will stick. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Challenge:  Can you do a page of bones?  I used my little stamp again to make the body, and then used white paint and black pen to complete the wrapped creature and the hand bones.

©Carol Desjarlais 10.8.19