Italian Butter Cookies
What are Italian butter cookies?
Italian butter cookies are something my family and I always pick up from our local Italian bakery around the holidays. They can be dipped in chocolate, covered in sprinkles, or even sandwiched together with jam in the middle for a reallll treat.
Piping Italian butter cookies
Italian butter cookies are made by piping out a basic butter cookie dough into shapes- use a large star tip to pipe the dough out. You can make any shape you want! I went for the classic, but Italian butter cookies can be made in any shape, like rainbows or circles.
If your star-shaped piping tip isn’t quite big enough to make a wider cookies (mine wasn’t) just pipe out a sort of closed oval shape that touches in the middle and joins at the bottom.
How to fill a piping bag
The easiest way to fill a piping bag with dough is to place the bag in a tall glass, and roll the sides of the bag over the edge of the glass. Use a rubber spatula to stuff the bag with the dough and then roll the sides of the bag back up.
What's in talian butter cookies?
Here’s everything you need to make Italian butter cookies:
- Powdered sugar
- Butter, room temperature
- Egg yolks
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Melted chocolate- you can use a chopped chocolate bar, melting wafers, or chocolate chips.
- Sprinkles- any kind you want! Keep it red and green for Christmas vibes or keep it classic and use rainbow sprinkles.
How to make Italian butter cookies
Making the dough for Italian butter cookies is simple.
First, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Next, cream together sifted powdered sugar and butter until it’s creamy. Then blend in the egg yolks one at a time, until combined. Add in the flour mixture gradually and mix until a dough forms.
Fit the piping bag with the open star tip and fill it up. Pipe out the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make each cookie about 2 inches long.
Bake in the oven at 350°F for 13-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate
In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each.
When you're ready to decorate the cookies, transfer the chocolate to a tall glass- the shape and size is ideal for dipping long cookies!
Dip the ends of the cookies into the chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet, and allow to dry.
I hope you love these cookies as much as my family and I do! Happy holidays & happy baking!
Sprinkles!
These cookies are so much fun to decorate, because you can choose sprinkles that suit any occasion or theme. As you can see in this post, I've made these cookies both Christmas themed and rainbow unicorn themed!
Click here to see the whole 12 Days of Cookies Collection!
Italian Butter Cookies
Italian butter cookies are a classic Christmas confection. Buttery and dipped in rich chocolate, you won’t be able to have just one! Decorate them with any sprinkles you want for a cute holiday treat that’s perfect for all your holiday cookie boxes.
- 2 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- 2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cup melted chocolate (chopped bar or chips)
- sprinkles
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Place butter and sifted powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms.
- Fit the piping bag with the wide star tip. Add the dough to the piping bag and pipe out 2 inch long cookie shapes. Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Dip the cookies in the chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet and allow to dry.