Egg-stra Special: Mom's Easter Treat

In my little world, there are several reasons to look forward to the Easter season. The baseball season is on the horizon (and the Knicks season is mercifully drawing to a close), another birthday is about to rear its ugly head, and then there's the actual Easter dinner, which is always delicious. While the ham, sweet potatoes, green beans with almond slivers and the like are all very fine, the one thing I really go nuts for is a pastry that we call "Egg in a Basket" (pictured, but I think this one was the "runt" of the bunch so it doesn't do it justice). For as long as I can remember my Mom has been making this wonderful treat, which is not quite cookie nor cake. This "Egg in a Basket" is actually called "Pupa Cu L'ova," and as best as I can tell is a traditional Italian pastry that is symbolic of the Easter season. My Mom recalls learning the recipe from her Aunt Mary, my Dad's aunt, sometime in the early 1960's. The treat is made from scratch using cookie dough rolled out, with strips placed across a hard-boiled egg in a cross shape and then baked. After the baskets are removed from the oven, icing (also made from scratch) and sprinkles are added on top at just the right moment. Mom makes them perfectly, which to me is having the dough still be doughy and chewy. I always try to scam a few extras but I have to fight with my two sisters, a brother and my four nieces and a nephew for them, not to mention my Dad, so this usually results in my coming home with just two. I may give this a try when I get the recipe from Mom but I'm sure it won't be half as good as hers. So I think next year I'll ask my Mom to make me a few extras in exchange for some Dior or L'Occitane products. Whaddya say, Mom? Do we have a deal?