Authentic Italian butter cookies - you can make 12 different cookies with just one dough - Perfect for your Christmas cookie tray!
Cookie baking just got easier with this delicious Italian butter cookies recipe!
If you're on the hunt for the best Italian Christmas cookie, these homemade butter cookies are an amazing choice for so many reasons:
- They’re made with just 5 simple ingredients
- The dough comes together super easily
- You can create a variety of cookies from one cookie dough
- They’re easy to store, freeze, or even freeze the dough for later!
Plus, you can get creative by dipping them in chocolate, adding nuts, jam, or sprinkles, or keep them plain because they’re simply delicious either way!
Growing up in Italy, the holidays were always a treat.
My grandma would always make these traditional Italian butter cookies, and we’d have them for breakfast with tea or milk, or for tea time with a nice cup of creamy hot chocolate.
The cookies were buttery, crumbly and soft, sometimes plain or with jam or chocolate. It made the holidays feel even more special!
I'm so excited to share our family recipe with you, and I know you'll love these cookies just as much as my family does!
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Whipped shortcrust pastry
This Italian butter cookie recipe is made using the classic technique of "frolla montata" (whipped shortcrust pastry).
Basically, the recipe is the same as the classic pastra frolla (Italian shortcrust pastry dough), but the process is a bit different.
In this case, the butter is whipped until creamy and fluffy and then combined with the other ingredients.
The whipping technique gives the best butter cookies I've ever tasted, they're lightly crumbly and melt in your mouth with every bite!
Ingredients
These traditional Italian cookies are proof that you don't need many ingredients to make the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth homemade cookies.
Here are the 5 ingredients you will need:
- Butter: adds flavor and the perfect structure to the cookies. Make sure it's very soft but not melted.
- Powdered sugar: confectioner's sugar makes heavenly crumbly cookies, so don't substitute with regular sugar.
- Eggs: You'll need 2 medium eggs and 1 extra yolk, at room temperature.
- Vanilla: use pure vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla bean.
- Flour: all purpose flour or Italian 00 flour. Make sure you sift the flour after you weight it.
VARIATIONS
- Sea salt: A pinch of salt gives a nice contrast and adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Citrus zest: A teaspoon of freshly-grated orange or lemon zest adds a wonderful citrusy aroma to these cookies.
- Cocoa powder: For chocolate butter cookies, mix 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder into half of the dough.
Equipment
To make these delicious Italian cookies, you’ll need the following kitchen tools:
- Mixing bowl: For combining ingredients.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer: This will help you whip the butter and sugar.
- Piping bag with a large star tip: A piping bag will help you shape the cookies, alternatively you can use a cookie press.
- Baking sheet: For baking the cookies on.
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat : For lining the baking tray.
- Cooling rack: For cooling the cookies after baking.
How to make Italian butter cookies
This Italian butter cookie recipe couldn't be easier to make!
You only need one bowl, and it takes just 10 minutes to put together.
Here's a quick recipe overview with step-by-step pictures.
For the full recipe, scroll down to the easy-to-print recipe card.
STEP 1: Whip the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
STEP 2: Add one egg at a time, and whisk until is fully absorbed before adding the other ones, then whisk in the vanilla.
STEP 3: Add the sifted flour and give and mix until fully incorporated. Your cookie dough should be sticky, soft but hold its shape.
STEP 4: Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle and pipe the cookies in the form that you like, directly on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
Baking tip: 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 or ¼ teaspoon of apricot jam.
STEP 5: Transfer the baking tray to the fridge and let the cookies refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake them for 10-12 minutes, then transfer them on a cooling rack and allow them to cool.
STEP 6: Dip some of the cookies in dark chocolate or white chocolate, then sprinkle with chopped nuts, holiday sprinkles or coconut flakes if you like. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Note: For chocolate Italian butter cookies, divide the dough equally, and mix 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder into half of the dough (or 60 g of cocoa powder for the whole dough mixture).
Baking tips
- Cut the butter into chunks and allow them to soften before making the cookie dough. The butter must be soft but not melted.
- 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.
- For chocolate-dipped cookies use high quality chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, then allow it to cool slightly before dipping the cookies.
Variations
If you're planning to put together a Christmas cookie tray, here's my favorite kitchen hack for holiday baking.
With this easy butter cookie dough, you can whip up 12 Italian Christmas cookies (and even more!).
All it takes is 5 basic ingredients and your favorite toppings.
This is truly the best butter cookie recipe ever, giving you endless options for creating different kinds of cookies!
Here are a few topping ideas that I use, you can mix and match them as you please:
- Chocolate: You can drizzle or dip these cookies in melted dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate.
- Nuts: Use whole almonds or pecans, chopped pistachio or walnuts.
- Jam: To make Italian butter cookies with jam, you can use cherry jam, apricot jam, peach jam, homemade Nutella or orange curd.
- More toppings: Candied cherries, coconut flakes are also some great topping options!
How to store butter cookies
Make sure your homemade 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.
Recipe FAQs
The butter was probably too warm. Try chilling them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking (after they're already piped).
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.
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 also crisp them up in a warm oven ( 150 C/325 F) for 2-3 minutes.
More Italian cookie recipes you'll love
Looking for more Italian Christmas cookie recipes to try?
I absolutely recommend these classic pignoli cookies, these melt-in-your mouth hazelnut cookies, these delicious Limoncello cookies, and my super popular Italian Christmas cookies.
Did you try this recipe?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook!
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Recipe
Italian Butter Cookies
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.
Video
Notes
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Sherina Hunt says
How long do these last for please once made
Andrea says
Hi Sherina, I usually store them in an airtight container or cookie tin and they keep well for at least a week!
Pam B says
I love butter cookies , but my grandkids say they don't have enough flavor. Would adding spices to the recipe make them too dry ?
Denise Bennett says
These sound great but can you use gluten free flour?
Andrea says
Hi Denise, I think that universal gluten-free baking flour should work well for this recipe.
Maureen says
Great recipe!
Michelle Miller says
Absolutely loved this recipe. It was soo easy and they came out perfect.
Tina says
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would!
The dough came together like a dream, it piped beautifully and baked perfectly. I piped the bar cookies and dipped them in chocolate and piped mounds and put a bit of raspberry jam in the center. Can’t wait to try the chocolate version.
I have found my go to Italian butter cookie recipe.