Rosette cookies are a simple but completely addictive addition to a holiday cookie tray; a delicate, lacy cookie that’s deep fried to crispy perfection, as light as air, and doused in snow-like powdered sugar.

Much like my Easter Bread recipe, this rosette cookies post is another that comes courtesy of the awesome Ulster County Italian American Foundation (UCIAF). The goal of the group, that both my dad and step-mom are a part of, is to promote, preserve and celebrate the Italian culture in Ulster County, NY. This past weekend they held a fantastic holiday cookie-making event. A big chunk of my family attended the event, including our cousin Christine who is visiting from Italy and an expert chef and baker. The event was boisterous and full of love and good food, as most Italian American events are, but best of all it gave me an opportunity to add a new cookie to my repertoire: these holiday rosette cookies.

Rosette cookies aren’t really cookies in the traditional sense. They are actually more similar to a crispy fried fritter. They’re made using a thin batter, much like a crepe batter, and a small patterned iron with a long handle (here’s what a rosette iron looks like). The iron gets dipped into the batter and then quickly dunked into hot oil, frying the batter up into an intricately patterned and delicately crispy cookie. They are both crisp and melt-in-your-mouth, and light enough that you could eat about a hundred of them. And while they definitely take a little bit of extra effort and care to make, that effort is 100% worth it for one of these perfect holiday cookies.

Rosette cookies can be a bit tricky to make at first, but once you get the hang of it you’ll actually crank them out quite quickly. But just to help you along, here are a few…

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE PERFECT ROSETTE COOKIES

USE A THERMOMETER TO KEEP TRACK OF OIL TEMPERATURE

The oil should be right at 375 degrees, ensuring that the rosettes don’t burn in oil that’s too hot or get greasy in oil that’s too cold.

TRY DIFFERENT ROSETTE IRONS

Most of us probably don’t have rosette irons lying around the house (although some might, as relics left over from our grandparents). But they’re super easy to find online and come a million different patterns. Experiment with shapes, like these snowflakes for the holidays, or go traditional.

DIP THE IRON IN HOT OIL FIRST

This heats the iron up, making it less likely that the cookies will stick. Be sure to tap it with a knife a few times before dipping in the batter, to shake off the excess oil so your batter doesn’t become oily.

DON’T DIP THE IRON ALL THE WAY IN THE BATTER

Only dip it about 1/4 inch into the batter, just to the top of iron. The iron will stick if there’s too much batter on it.

USE A SKEWER TO HELP RELEASE THE ROSETTES FROM THE IRON

Once the rosette cooks in the oil for a few seconds, it will release from the iron and you can start making more. But sometimes you’ll need to help it along with something long and pointy, like a skewer or a knife.

ONLY FRY THE ROSETTES FOR 30 SECONDS TO 1 MINUTE

Or until they are golden brown. Any longer and they’ll burn.

REMOVE BITS OF BATTER FROM THE OIL AS YOU GO

These little escaped bits of batter will burn and make your oil smoke, so use a strainer to remove them.

DRAIN THE ROSETTES ON A PEPER TOWEL OR PAPER BAGS

To remove excess oil.

GIVE THE ROSETTES A MOMENT TO COOL BEFORE TOPPING

If they’re too hot, the powdered sugar will simply melt onto them. While still delicious, they look much prettier with that delicate dusting of powdered sugar snow on top.

THE UCIAF HOLIDAY COOKIE EVENT

While these rosette cookies were my absolute favorite, the UCIAF holiday cookie event also included a few other cookies that are traditional to the Italian-American holiday cookie tray: pizzelle (a thin waffle-like cookie made using an device similar to waffle iron), genetti (essentially my olive oil anise cookies) and biscotti. I can’t help but include a few more images from this awesome event; and you’ll spot my family in a few of the shots!