Ossi Di Morti -Bones of the Dead Cookies # 2

Ossi di Morti, or “Bones of the Dead," are traditional Italian cookies baked for All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). They’re meant to be rock-hard. That’s not a mistake or a sign of overbaking. These are dunking cookies, designed to soften in hot coffee or tea, absorbing the liquid and turning tender with each sip.

The dough is lean and firm, more like pasta dough than cookie dough. No butter, no eggs, no oil beyond the cinnamon and clove oils that give them their signature warm, spiced fragrance. Powdered sugar provides all the sweetness, and warm water brings the dough together.

The lattice pattern scored into the flattened ropes before baking is what gives them that bone-like appearance and creates grooves that catch the powdered sugar dusted on after baking.

Kitchen Tips

• Work the dough until it’s smooth and firm, like pasta dough. If it’s sticky, it has too much water. Do not add extra flour.
• Score the lattice cuts shallow. You want a decorative pattern, not cuts that go all the way through and split during baking.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep for weeks because there’s no fat or eggs to go stale.

Variations

• Add a few drops of anise oil alongside the cinnamon and clove for a more complex, licorice-tinged spice flavor.
• Dip one end of the cooled cookies in melted chocolate for a modern twist on the tradition.
• Shape into longer, thinner bones for a more dramatic presentation on the dessert table.