Italian Easter Cookies Recipe

This Italian Easter Cookies recipe brings the perfect combination of buttery softness and sweet icing to your holiday celebrations. These traditional cookies feature a hint of almond and vanilla, topped with vibrant pastel icing and festive sprinkles. They’re not just delightful to look at but also incredibly simple to make, requiring basic ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Family Tradition: These colorful cookies capture the essence of Easter celebrations and make a wonderful tradition to share with family and friends.
• Customizable: Shape them into knots or donut shapes, and decorate with your favorite pastel colors to match your Easter decor or personal preference.
• Perfectly Textured: These cookies strike the ideal balance – soft and tender inside with just the right amount of structure to hold their shape.
• Make-Ahead Friendly: Prepare them days before your celebration and they’ll still taste fresh and delicious when serving time arrives.

this Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Butter: Creates that melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich flavor. Make sure it’s room temperature for proper creaming.
• Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create the tender crumb in these cookies.
• Eggs: Acts as a binder and adds structure to the cookie dough.
• Vanilla and Almond Extracts: The combination of these two extracts gives these cookies their distinctive Italian flavor. The almond extract especially makes these cookies stand out.
• Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the dough, resulting in a softer cookie.
• Flour: Forms the structure of the cookie. Measure by spooning into measuring cups and leveling off for accuracy.
• Baking Powder: Provides the slight rise that keeps these cookies light rather than dense.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
• Powdered Sugar: Creates the smooth, glossy icing that dries with a slight crust.
• Corn Syrup: Gives the icing its shine and helps it set properly.
• Food Coloring: Gel food coloring works best as it won’t thin the icing and provides vibrant Easter colors.
• Sprinkles: Rainbow nonpareils add that festive touch that makes these cookies special.

Variations

Different Shapes

Beyond knots and donuts, try forming these cookies into twists, “S” shapes, or even braids for variety on your Easter cookie platter.

Flavor Alternatives

• Lemon Twist: Add lemon zest to the dough and replace almond extract with lemon extract in both the cookie and icing.
• Anise Traditional: Replace the almond extract with anise extract for a more traditional Italian flavor profile.
• Orange Spice: Add orange zest to the dough and mix a pinch of cinnamon into the icing.

Decoration Options

• Pastel Drizzle: Instead of dipping, drizzle multiple colors of icing over each cookie.
• Coconut Topped: Press sweetened coconut flakes onto the wet icing for added texture.
• Simple Sugar: Skip the icing and just dust with powdered sugar for a less sweet option.

How to Make Italian Easter Cookies

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts until combined. The mixture might look slightly curdled – that’s perfectly normal!

Step 2: Add Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined – overmixing will make the cookies tough.

Step 3: Shape the Cookies

Scoop portions of dough using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll each portion into a 6-7 inch log on a lightly floured surface. Form half into knots by twisting the log and tucking the ends under. Form the remaining into donut shapes by connecting the ends or pressing your finger through a ball of dough.

Step 4: Bake

Place the shaped cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 9 minutes, just until the bottoms turn slightly golden. The tops will remain pale.

Step 5: Cool Completely

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before icing. This step is crucial – icing warm cookies will result in runny, messy icing.

Step 6: Prepare and Apply Icing

Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and almond extract until smooth. Divide into separate bowls and tint with gel food coloring to create pastel hues. Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the icing, allowing excess to drip off, then immediately sprinkle with nonpareils before the icing sets.

Pro Tips for Making the Recipe

• Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature for the smoothest dough.
• Flour Your Hands: If the dough feels sticky when rolling into logs, lightly flour your hands rather than adding more flour to the dough.
• Don’t Overbake: These cookies should remain pale on top. If they brown too much, they’ll become dry rather than soft and tender.
• Icing Consistency: The icing should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to run off smoothly. Add milk or powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time to adjust.
• Work Quickly with Sprinkles: Add sprinkles immediately after dipping each cookie, as the icing starts to form a crust quickly.

How to Serve

Easter Breakfast or Brunch

Arrange these colorful cookies on a tiered stand alongside fresh fruit and coffee for a festive Easter morning treat.

Holiday Cookie Platters

Include these cookies on a holiday dessert table alongside other traditional Easter treats like chocolate eggs and coconut macaroons.

Gift-Giving

Pack these cookies in decorative Easter tins or cellophane bags tied with pastel ribbons to share with neighbors, teachers, or family.

Pairing Suggestions

These cookies pair wonderfully with:

• Hot tea or coffee
• A glass of sweet dessert wine like Vin Santo
• Creamy vanilla gelato for a special dessert

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

Store completely cooled and iced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.

Freezing

Freeze uniced cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, place parchment paper between layers and ensure your container is airtight.

For iced cookies, freeze them first on a baking sheet until the icing is solid, then transfer to a container with parchment between layers.

Make-Ahead Options

Prepare the dough up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate. When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.

You can also bake the cookies in advance and freeze them, then thaw and ice them the day before serving.

FAQs

Can I make these cookies without almond extract?
Yes, you can substitute additional vanilla extract for the almond extract if you have allergies or preference issues. The flavor profile will be different but still delicious. Alternatively, try lemon or orange extract for a different but equally festive flavor.

Why did my cookies spread too much during baking?
If your cookies spread too much, your butter might have been too warm or your baking powder might be expired. Make sure your baking sheet isn’t warm from previous batches, and try chilling the shaped cookies for 15 minutes before baking.

How far in advance can I make these cookies for Easter?
You can bake the cookies up to 5 days in advance and store them in an airtight container. For the freshest taste, consider icing them 1-2 days before serving. Alternatively, freeze uniced cookies for up to 3 months and ice them after thawing.

My icing is too thin/thick. How do I fix it?
For icing that’s too thin, add powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add milk a teaspoon at a time. The perfect consistency should coat the back of a spoon and slowly drip off, leaving a trail that disappears within a few seconds.

Final Thoughts

These Italian Easter Cookies bring a touch of traditional charm to any spring celebration. With their tender, buttery texture, hint of almond flavor, and cheerful appearance, they’re bound to become a beloved part of your Easter traditions. Whether you’re making them with children who’ll delight in the shaping and decorating process, or preparing them as a gift for loved ones, these cookies offer both the comfort of tradition and the joy of creating something beautiful by hand. Give them a try this Easter season – they’re simpler to make than they look and guaranteed to bring smiles to everyone at your table!

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