Italian Butter Cookies
User Reviews
4.9
93 reviews
Excellent
Italian Butter Cookies
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Italian butter cookies are melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookies made with 5 ingredients. Easy to make and delicious both plain or decorated!
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Ingredients
- 250 g butter softened at room temperature
- 150 g powdered sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 medium yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla bean
- a pinch of salt optional
- 360 g all purpose flour sifted
TO DECORATE:
- candied cherries
- apricot jam
- 80 g dark chocolate
- 80 g white chocolate
- crumbled pistachios
- coconut flakes
- whole almonds
Instructions
- Whip the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, for at least 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time into the mixture, and whisk until is fully absorbed before adding the other one, then whisk in the yolk, followed by the vanilla. Whisk for 2 minutes, until your mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the sifted flour and give and mix until fully incorporated. Your cookie dough should be sticky, soft but hold its shape.
- Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle and pipe the cookies in various shapes directly on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
- You can make S-shaped cookies, logs, flowers, horseshoe cookies, or rounded cookies. You can also make a little well in the center of the round cookies and add a candied cherry, a whole almond or ¼ teaspoon of apricot jam.
- Transfer the baking tray to the fridge and let the cookies refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to180° C / 360° F and arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are ready when the edges are slightly golden. Remove them from the oven and transfer them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before serving.
To decorate the cookies:
- Melt the dark chocolate and white chocolate separately using a double boiler, or microwave them in two separate bowls for 30 seconds. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly before dipping the cookies.
- Dip some of the cookies in dark chocolate or white chocolate, then sprinkle them with chopped pistachio or coconut flakes if you like. Arrange the chocolate-dipped cookies onto a baking tray covered with parchment paper, and allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Notes
- Storage tips:
- Make sure your butter cookies are completely cool to the touch before you store them. Store them in an air-tight container in a dry cool spot in your pantry. To prevent the cookies from sticking together, arrange them in a single layer and add a piece of parchment paper between layers.
- Can you freeze the cookie dough?
- Yes, you can make this butter cookie dough ahead and freeze it for later. The cookie dough can be frozen for about a month. Once defrosted completely in the refrigerator, whisk it for a few minutes with an electric whisker before using it.
- Can you freeze Italian butter cookies?
- You can also freeze the cookies not dipped in chocolate, up to 6 months. To thaw frozen cookies, take them out of their freezing container and spread them on a baking tray until they come to room temperature. You can crisp them up in a warm oven ( 150 C/325 F) too, for 2-3 minutes.
- US CONVERSIONS
- Please note that cups can't be as accurate as grams. When baking, it's always best to use a scale for weighing the ingredients.
- CHOCOLATE COOKIE DOUGH
- For chocolate butter cookies, divide the dough equally, and mix 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder into half of the dough.
- Cut the butter into chunks and allow them to soften for at least 30 minutes before making the cookie dough. The butter must be very soft but not melted.
- Once the dough is ready, pipe the cookies quickly before the dough becomes too warm.
- The dough is thicker than frosting, so cloth piping bags (or silicone ones) hold the pressure better than disposable piping bags.
- If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a cookie press, or make your own piping bag with parchment paper.
- Don’t overfill your piping bag and squeeze from the top as you pipe the dough, otherwise, the dough will ooze out the top.
- Chill the cookies for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, even better for 1 hour. Skipping the chilling time will make your cookies spread and flatten in the oven.
- Keep the cookies slightly spaced apart, as they will slightly expand while they bake.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1cookie
Calories
64kcal
(3%)
Carbohydrates
4g
(1%)
Protein
1g
(2%)
Fat
5g
(8%)
Saturated Fat
3g
(15%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
27mg
(9%)
Sodium
48mg
(2%)
Potassium
5mg
(0%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
175IU
(4%)
Calcium
3mg
(0%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 40Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 64 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cookie | |
| Calories | 64kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 4g | 1% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 27mg | 9% |
| Sodium | 48mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 5mg | 0% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 175IU | 4% |
| Calcium | 3mg | 0% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
93 reviews
Excellent
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