Italian Knot Cookies

My mother is 100 percent Sicilian. When I was a child I remember eating Old* Aunt Mary and Old Aunt Eleanor's Italian Knot Cookies and loving them!! I've always wanted to recreate them and this recipe is the closest I've found so far.

*I think my mom tacked on "old" to distinguish them as her Aunts as opposed to our Aunts.

Ingredients:

Cookies:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons lemon zest
(I had to add some milk because the gluten free mixture was too dry)

Icing:
1-1/2 cups confectioners'  sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
1 teaspoon almond extract
Colored sprinkles


Directions:

To make the cookies:
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and zest.
Gradually add the flour mixture, beating well to combine. The dough will be
soft.

Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.

Place the dough on a lightly-floured surface. Break off golf-ball size pieces of
dough. Roll each piece into a rope about 7 inches long and 1/2 inch in
diameter. Tie into a knot with one end poking up in the center. Place 1-inch
apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly
browned. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly.
You want the cookies to be slightly warm when you add the icing.


To make the icing:
In a bowl, stir together the confectioners'  sugar and milk until smooth.
Stir in the almond extract. Add more milk if necessary to make a slightly thin
icing. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing. Place the cookies on wire racks
and top with the colored sprinkles. Allow the icing to dry before storing.
These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about 1 week.

Picture and recipe: http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/knot_cookies.html

Total caloric yield (made with gluten free flour blend): 2,690/#cookies