Description
These soft and buttery Italian Easter cookies are a delicious treat for any celebration, especially Easter! With their tender texture and the perfect balance of vanilla and almond extracts, they’re sure to melt in your mouth. This simple yet authentic Italian cookie recipe is easy to follow and will add a colorful, festive touch to your Easter dessert table. Don’t forget the vibrant glaze and rainbow sprinkles!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the cookies:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2–4 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Gel food coloring (purple, pink, blue, and yellow)
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamed.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine between each addition.
- Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. The mixture will be pale yellow and slightly separated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add half of the milk to the butter/sugar mixture, followed by half of the flour mixture. Mix until combined, then add the remaining milk and flour, mixing just until incorporated.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to form dough balls. Roll each scoop into a 6-7” log and twist into a knot for half of the cookies. For the other half, form donut shapes by joining the ends of the log or press a hole into the center of each ball.
- Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, whisk together all the icing ingredients. Divide into four bowls and color each with a drop of gel food coloring.
- Dip each cooled cookie into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Place on parchment paper and sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils. Let the glaze set and dry completely before serving.
Notes
- These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can mix and match different colors for the glaze and use any type of sprinkles you prefer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 1/20th of the recipe)
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 35mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg