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italian butter cookies with various toppings and decorations.

Italian Butter Cookies

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Resting time:: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 40
Calories: 64kcal
Try authentic Italian butter cookies, you can make 12 different cookies with just one dough - Perfect for your Christmas cookie tray!
Print Recipe

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.
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. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg