Torcetti (or Ciambelline) al Vino: Ring-Shaped Cookies for When Guests Come Calling

Ring-shaped cookies made with olive oil and wine are common throughout central-south Italy. They are cookies that, in spite of their plainness, bring back sweet memories for many of us who hail from this part of the boot. My paternal grandmother, who was from Isernia (Molise), made hers with white wine. She would roll out the shiny dough into thin ropes, twist the ropes together, and form them into small rings. They were dense and not too sweet, finished with an egg glaze.