Italian Easter Cookies are a delicious treat that can be enjoyed all year round. Made from flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, and milk, they resemble thumbprint cookies. However, the dough is typically flavored with almond and vanilla extract, giving them a distinctive flavor that sets them apart from other cookies.
While they are often served during the Easter season, Sicillian Easter Cookies can be enjoyed any time of year. Whether you are looking for a tasty treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or a sweet snack to take to a party, Italian Easter Cookies are sure to please.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- First, they are incredibly easy to make.
- Second, they are a versatile cookie that can be enjoyed all year round.
- They are perfect for sharing with friends and family.
🛒Ingredients
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- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- unsalted butter, room temperature
- granulated sugar
- eggs, room temperature
- milk
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
For the icing:
- milk
- butter, melted
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- powdered sugar
- food coloring of your choice
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Italian Easter Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Whisk together flour and baking powder
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 5 minutes or until creamy. Add the sugar, scraping down the sides, and continue beating until fluffy.
Step 4: Add the remaining wet ingredients
Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beating until well blended.
Step 5: Slowly add in the flour
Beat the flour mixture into the batter just until blended.
Step 6: Shape the cookies
Portion the dough into 1 to 2 inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls into a 5 inch rope. Twist the rope into a knot. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
Step 7: Bake the cookies
Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
Step 8: Make the icing
To make the icing, mix all of the ingredients together.
Step 9: Ice the cookies
Invert the cookies and dip in the icing. Immediately add sprinkles if desired.
Hint: If the icing is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached..
📝Variations
There are many different variations of Italian Easter Cookies.
- Change up the sprinkles – the great thing about the cookies is that you can change up the colors however you’d like.
- Leave the frosting off the cookies – if you’re looking for a lighter cookie, feel free to omit the frosting.
- Add chocolate chips to the dough – for a chocolaty twist, add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
If you love Easter cookies give these Easter Blossom Cookies a try next time.
🥄 Equipment
Here is a list of equipment that you need to make these delicious Easter cookies.
- baking sheet
- medium bowl
- whisk
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- small bowl
🥫 Storage
Italian Easter cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
💭 Tips
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin baking. Room temperature ingredients mix together more easily and produce a more consistent cookie.
- When measuring the flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the flour out of the container with the measuring cup as this will pack the flour down and result in too much flour being added to the cookie dough.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough once you add the flour . Overmixing will result in a tough cookie.
- For perfectly iced cookies, dip the top of each cookie into the icing. Allow any excess icing to drip off before flipping the cookie over and placing it on a wire rack to set.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Yes, you can make the cookies ahead of time and store them in an airtight container. The frosting can also be made ahead of time and stored in a separate airtight container. When you’re ready to serve the cookies, simply frost them and add the sprinkles.
You can use any type of sprinkle that you’d like! Get creative and have fun with it.
No, you don’t have to use food coloring. However, it does give the frosting a pretty pastel color that’s perfect for Easter.
🍽 More Easter Recipes
Do you enjoy Easter recipes? Try these delicious recipes:
🧾Italian Easter Cookies
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Italian Easter Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Icing
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 5 minutes or until creamy. Add the sugar, scraping down the sides, and continue beating until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beating until well blended.
- Beat the flour mixture into the batter just until blended.
- Portion the dough into 1 to 2 inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls into a 5 inch rope. Twist the rope into a knot. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, mix all of the ingredients together. Invert the cookies and dip in the icing. Immediately add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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