Italian Christmas Cookies

Our Classic Italian Christmas Cookies are tender, cakey, and not too sweet. Bakery quality- Nonna approved. Gorgeous on your Christmas cookie tray!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword How Do I Make Italian Christmas Cookies, How To Make Italian Christmas Cookies, Italian Christmas Cookies, Italian Christmas Cookies Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings Cookies

Calories 104kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Cookies:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon almond extract

Glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 1/2 tablespoons hot water more as needed

Decorations:

rainbow nonpareil sprinkles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Whisk together flour (4 cups), baking powder (1 tablespoon), and sugar (1 cup) until combined. Make a well in the center and add oil (3/4 cup), milk (1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon of almond extract, and eggs (2). Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix together until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop up a one-inch ball of dough, and place it on the prepared cookie sheet, with 1-inch between cookies. Slightly flatten tops. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven until the cookies are cooked. They will not brown.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar (3 cups), almond extract (1 tablespoon), and hot water (1 1/2 tablespoons) until smooth. The glaze should remain thick like the consistency of molasses.
Place a wire baking rack over a rimmed cookie sheet. Dip warm cookies in glaze, then set on a wire rack and allow to cool. Dip cookies in glaze a second time then sprinkle with rainbow nonpareil sprinkles immediately, while glaze is still wet. Allow to set completely on the rack.

Notes

Baking: If you’ve ever had these cookies and thought they were unimpressive and dry, you’re in good company. But with this recipe, you can create the best version of this awesome cookie.
- Moist and tender, nothing like the dry, crunchy things you may have had in the past. Just make sure you watch your baking time closely.
- The secret to making these cookies and having a wonderful texture is not to overbake them! While that goes for all baked goods, it’s especially important with these babies!
- The tops should not brown. I try to cook them just until they lose their rawness. In my oven, 9 minutes comes out perfectly.
Icing: The glaze part of my Italian Christmas cookies recipe is optional. If you want to cut back on the sweetness, skip it but remember, these cookies are not that sweet.
- I double glaze these. The first glaze seals them while they’re warm so they have a tender texture. When that cools slightly, I add a second layer of glaze and add the sprinkles.
- When I made the batch in the photos, I added the sprinkles while the cookies were still warm and the sprinkles melt just a little creating this kinda psychedelic look. My kids love them this way.
- I show how to make them the traditional way that is Nonna approved, in the video. Then they come out looking like they’re made in an Italian bakery.
- You’ll want to make sure to add the water into the glaze mixture slowly. You want to get the glaze nice and thick—aiming for that familiar opaque look on the cookie. If the glaze gets too thin it won’t be white.
Shape: Some versions of traditional Italian Christmas cookies recipes have the shapes coiled or in cones.
- For my recipe, I have you shape the dough into rounded drop cookies due to my dough being a bit wetter than normal. This is how I learned to make them and I love the simplicity of them!
- I use a small cookie cream scoop to form each cookie. This helps to ensure uniformity in size, which is important because the baking time needs to be very precise.
- Remember, if these overbake they’ll be dry. Shaping them consistently enables you to also bake them evenly.
Space Savers: Thanks to the lack of butter, my Italian Christmas cookies recipe makes a dough that doesn’t spread as much in the oven as other cookies. This means you can fit more cookies per sheet, thereby saving time and space!
Extract the Flavor: My recipe uses almond extract, but don’t feel limited to that flavor! There are so many delicious variations: orange, peppermint, anise, rum, and more.

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