Italian Easter Egg Basket (Pupa Cu L'Ova) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
16 tablespoons butter
6 eggs
2 teaspoons anise or 2 teaspoons your favorite extract
6 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs, uncooked, dyed

Preparation

Thoroughly mix first two ingredients.
Add eggs one at a time and completely mix after each.
Add the extract and beat until smooth.
Whisk flour and baking powder together and add to egg mixture just enough to make a workable dough.
Roll a piece of dough into a ball and flatten it to make a 4-inch diameter round onto cookie sheet.
Roll some dough into a 1/4-inch diameter \"rope\" and cut 2 pieces enough to crisscross a raw egg which is placed in the center of the round and the edges sealed.o.
Repeat until all six eggs are used up and bake at 350 degrees F. 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Leftover scraps of dough can be shaped into cookies and baked along with the egg baskets.