Description
Buttery Italian Easter Cookies are soft, cake-like treats with a tender crumb, featuring a delightful glaze topped with colorful sprinkles. These traditional Italian cookies are perfect for celebrating the holiday season and can be customized with various extracts for added flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Colorful sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening and seasoning.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture.
- Add eggs and extracts: Beat in the eggs one at a time to fully incorporate, then add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk, mixing well for balanced flavor and moisture.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms—be careful not to overmix.
- Shape cookies: Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll each piece into a rope about 5 inches long. Shape each rope into a loop or twist and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden while the tops remain pale, to achieve a delicate crumb.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth to create a sweet, glossy glaze.
- Glaze and decorate: Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, letting any excess drip off, then immediately top with colorful sprinkles. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
Notes
- These cookies are soft and cake-like with a tender crumb.
- You can adjust the flavor by using lemon or anise extract in place of almond extract.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to keep them fresh.
