Bakery-Style Italian Butter Cookies
Make rich, tender Italian butter cookies at home that melt in your mouth. This simple recipe yields authentic, buttery biscuits perfect for holidays or coffee pairing.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 37 min
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting/glaze)
- 1/4 cup milk (for glaze, optional)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for dipping, optional)
Instructions
- Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Place the dough in a large zip-top bag or wrap it tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Transfer the chilled dough to a cookie press fitted with your desired plate (such as a star or wreath shape) or roll the dough and cut out shapes. For traditional swirls, pipe small rosettes onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers should remain pale.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For a simple finish, dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar. For chocolate dipping, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate and set them on parchment paper to set.
Notes
- For a classic jam-filled cookie, press a small indentation into the center of the dough before baking and fill with raspberry or apricot jam after they cool.
- These cookies are excellent when dipped in coffee or tea.
- If you do not have a cookie press, you can shape the dough into small logs or use a piping bag with a star tip.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 35
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 30