Celebrate the holidays with these classic Italian Christmas Cookies! This easy Christmas cookie recipe is perfect for beginners and ideal for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, or as a homemade gift. Soft, buttery, and elegantly festive, these cookies bring a touch of magic to your holiday table.
Perfect for holiday gatherings, these cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat!
Why Italian Christmas Cookies Are a Holiday Favorite?
- Easy Christmas cookie recipe: Perfect for everyone, from beginner bakers to seasoned pros
- Simple ingredients, big flavor: This recipe uses pantry staples, but the results are anything but ordinary.
- Quick and Easy to Make: With this step-by-step recipe and minimal prep time, you can whip up a batch quickly, making it perfect for last-minute holiday gatherings or gift-giving.
- Versatile and Easy to Adapt: This recipe allows you to add your personal touch. You can substitute vanilla extract with almond, lemon, or anise extract. You can also change the colors of sprinkles and make them for any occasion.
- Perfect for Sharing and Gifting: The cookies are designed to be shared! Their delightful taste and festive appearance make them perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, homemade gifts, or delicious treats for family and friends.
Ingredients for Easy Italian Christmas Cookies Recipe:
Making these delightful Italian Christmas cookies is simple and requires only a few classic ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-Purpose Flour – Provides the base for the cookies, giving them structure and a soft texture.
- Butter – For a rich, buttery flavor that melts in your mouth.
- Granulated Sugar – Adds sweetness to balance the buttery richness.
- Eggs – Helps bind the ingredients together and gives the cookies a tender crumb.
- Baking Powder – For a light, airy texture that makes each bite soft and fluffy.
- Vanilla (or almond) Extract – Add a warm aroma
- Powdered Sugar, Milk, and Festive Sprinkles – For icing and decoration to create a festive look.
These simple ingredients create soft, buttery cookies, full of festive flavor.
Step-by-Step Christmas Cookies Recipe
Follow these easy steps to make delicious Italian Christmas cookies perfect for the holiday season. This simple recipe is beginner-friendly.
- Step 1: Prepare your ingredients
- Measure out all ingredients, and bring them to room temperature.
- Step 2: Mix wet ingredients:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition, just to combine.
- Step 3: Combine dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid over-mixing, as this can make the cookies tough. Then knead until the dough is firm and not sticky, adding more flour if necessary. Don’t overdo it with flour, it will be less sticky after chilling.
- Step 4: Chill the dough
- This step is necessary, do not skip it. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Step 5: Shape the Cookies
- You can choose one of two options: you can scoop out dough and roll it into a 1-inch ball, or you can shape it into spirals. Scoop off a small amount of dough and roll on a floured surface into a 6-inch strip. Pinch one edge and begin to twirl the rest of the rope around that edge. until you form a circle. Finally, tuck the edge under the cookie.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Step 6: Bake the Cookies
- Bake in preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 9-11 minutes. The bottom should be light brown and the top a light tan. The centers should remain soft and slightly underbaked to keep the cookies tender.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, prepare the glaze.
- Step 7: Glaze and decoration
- Combine the vanilla extract, milk, and sugar. Mix until smooth. You want the glaze thick, but still runny. Dip the tops of the cooled Christmas cookies into the glaze. Let some of the excess glaze run back into the bowl. Place the dipped cookie on a cooling rack. Immediately add the sprinkles on the tops. The glaze will dry completely in about 30 to 60 minutes.
- Step 8: Enjoy and share!
- Serve these Italian Christmas cookies at holiday gatherings, or package them for a pretty homemade gift.
Holiday Baking Tips for Perfect Christmas Cookies
To make sure your Italian Christmas cookies turn out soft, flavorful, and beautifully festive, follow these holiday baking tips. These tricks will help you achieve perfect results every time:
- Soften Butter Properly
- Use room-temperature butter for a smooth, even dough. To soften butter quickly, cut it into smaller pieces and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes
- Don’t Overmix the Dough
- Once you add the ingredients mix just until combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough cookies, which is not ideal for soft Italian Christmas cookies.
- Chill the Dough
- If you skip it the dough will be too sticky. Chilling it for an hour can make it easier to handle and shape. This can also help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
- If the dough is too sticky after chilling for you to work with, use some cooking spray on your hands while you roll the dough balls.
- Watch Baking Time Carefully
- Italian Christmas cookies should be lightly golden at the bottom and soft in the center. Keep a close eye on the cookies while they bake, as they can go from perfectly baked to overbaked quickly. Pull them out as soon as the edges start to set for the best texture.
- Let Cookies Cool Completely Before Decorating
- Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack. Decorating warm cookies can cause the icing to melt or the decorations to slide off.
- Store Properly for Maximum Freshness
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw them at room temperature before serving. It is best to freeze them without the glaze and decoration.
- Get Creative with Decorations
- Make these cookies extra festive by experimenting with different decorations, holiday-themed sprinkles, colorful icing, or crushed candy canes.
Wrapping Up Your Italian Christmas Cookies Recipe
These soft, buttery, and beautifully festive Italian Christmas cookies capture the spirit of Christmas with each delicious bite, blending traditional Italian flavors with a holiday twist. Make a big batch to ensure everyone gets a taste of these delightful treats!
However, I hope these Italian Christmas cookies become a tradition and one of your favorite holiday baking recipes, bringing joy, warmth, and a sprinkle of sweetness to your celebrations.
Buon Natale!
Merry Christmas🎄🍪
Italian Christmas Cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20hours
Yield: 36 cookies 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: Italian
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Description
Celebrate the holidays with these classic Italian Christmas cookies! This easy Christmas cookie recipe is perfect for beginners and ideal for holiday baking, festive gatherings, cookie exchanges, or as a homemade gift. Soft, buttery, and elegantly festive, these cookies bring a touch of magic to your holiday table.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter-softened at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond) extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons milk (or more if needed)
- Nonpareil sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Whisk together flour and baking powder, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, vanilla extract and sugar.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition to combine
- Add in the flour mixture and mix to combine.
- Knead until dough is firm and not sticky, adding more flour if necessary. Do not overdo it with flour, the dough will firm after chilling.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 f, line baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- To shape the cookies, you can simply roll them into a 1-inch ball, and arrange them onto a baking sheet. Or you can shape them into a swirl. Cut off small amount of dough and roll on floured surface into 6 inch long strips (about 1/3-1/2 inch thick). Pinch one edge and begin to twirl the rest of the rope around that edge until you form a circle, and tuck the edge under the cookie.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 375℉ for 8-10 minutes (the bottom should be lightly browned byt the tops should remain light).
- Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
Glaze
- Combine the vanilla extract, milk and sugar. Mix until smooth. You want the glaze thick, but still runny. If it is too thick add more milk, if it is too thin add more powdered sugar.
- Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze. Let some of the excess glaze run back into the bowl. Place the dipped cookie on a cooling rack. Sprinkle the top with nonpareil sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. The glaze will dry completely in about 30 to 60 minutes.
Notes
- Use room-temperature butter for a smooth, even dough. To soften butter quickly, cut it into smaller pieces and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes
- Once you add the ingredients mix just until combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough cookies, which is not ideal for soft Italian Christmas cookies.
- Do not skip chilling the dough. It makes it easier to handle and shape the dough. This also helps the cookies keep their shape while baking.
- Decorating warm cookies can cause the icing to melt or the decorations to slide off.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving. It is best to freeze them without the glaze and decoration.
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