Italian Cookies with sprinkles are super soft, sweet and so simple to make! A simple pink glaze and bright sprinkles make these perfect for parties.
Italian Cookies are sometimes called Italian Wedding Cookies because you can be sure that there will always be a big tray (if not an entire table) full of homemade Italian cookies just like these when you attend a wedding in an Italian family.
Those cookies are made with lots of love and plenty of butter and sugar, and this Italian cookie recipe is the variety on the table that is always the favorite. I think that’s because of the frosting!
These small round cookies are super soft and flavored with vanilla and almond extracts. They have the perfect amount of sweetness, which is elevated by a sugar glaze and fun sprinkle decorations.
Looking for more delicious cookies to serve on a special occasion? First try another Italian specialty, Ricotta cookies or Pizzelle. Then try my Orange cookies if you enjoy sweet cookies with an extra soft texture!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- An Easy Recipe: This recipe uses common ingredients and easy to understand step-by-step instructions so that you will be able to make Italian cookies, even if you aren’t a cookie making pro yet.
- Fun Decorations: Here I tinted the icing pink and added bright spring-themed sprinkles to make these cookies extra fun. You can adjust the colors and the sprinkles to match any occasion.
- Bite-Sized: It’s impossible to eat just one of these little Italian cookies, but that’s ok because they are small! Each cookie is fluffy and tall, but only about an inch and half across.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter: Unsalted butter is the right choice when making cookies. This way we can be sure that the cookie dough doesn’t have too much salt in it.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds the right amount of sweetness to this Italian cookie recipe.
- Vanilla and Almond Extracts: You can make these with just vanilla extract, but almond extract is very common in Italian cookies, and it’s delicious here. Be sure to use pure extracts, never imitation.
- Eggs: Three whole eggs go into this recipe, which is more than you might find in other cookie recipes. This is what makes them so fluffy and soft.
- Flour, baking powder, and salt: These are our dry ingredients.
- Cookie Glaze: A delicious and creamy frosting is made from powdered sugar, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. You can add food coloring if you want to make your cookies bright and colorful too.
- Sprinkles: To me, sprinkles are a must on Italian cookies! They are optional, but I highly recommend you add some. I used a variety of sprinkles from this set.
How To Make Italian Cookies
Mix, bake, and decorate to create the perfect Italian cookies!
- Get Ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat silicone mat.
- Cream the Butter: In a bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until it’s light and creamy. This takes 2 or 3 minutes.
- Mix the Dough: Add the extracts and the eggs and beat for one minute. At this point the mixture might look separated because of all the liquid you just added. This is normal. Then add the dry ingredients, and beat at low speed until just combined.
- Scoop and Roll: Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out cookie balls and then roll them with your hands to create round, smooth balls. Place them on the baking sheet 1 inch apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan or on a wire rack. Be sure that they are completely cool before adding the glaze.
- Make the Glaze: In a bowl, combine all of the glaze ingredients. Adjust the consistency if needed by adding more milk or more powdered sugar.
- Decorate: Dip each cookie into the glaze to coat the top, then return to the wire rack so that any excess glaze can drip off. Decorate with sprinkles before the glaze sets.
Recipe Tips
Don’t forget the sprinkles! If you wait too long to add the sprinkles to the glaze, the glaze will have hardened and the sprinkles won’t stick. I like to dip about 12 cookies at a time, then add the sprinkles, and then repeat with the rest.
Feel Free to Double the recipe: You’ll get about 36 cookies using this Italian cookie recipe. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’d like to have more cookies.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Be sure that your butter and eggs are allowed to come to room temperature before mixing up the dough. This will help you to get smooth and consistent cookie dough.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Banana Bread Cookies
- Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Pizzelle Cookies
FAQs
This simple, soft, round cookie is made by Italian-American grandmothers everywhere, so it must be the real thing!
Definitely! Decorate them with holiday sprinkles to make them match the occasion.
If you’d rather not use almond extract, simply leave it out and add an additional half teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe.
Cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid stacking them on top of each other, as the glaze will make them stick together. Freeze these cookies for up to 3 months too.
This delicious Italian cookie recipe is now yours to enjoy! It’s really the perfect recipe to make and share with the ones you love. Be sure to Pin it for later.
Italian Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½cup, 113g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2½ cups(300g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (130g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles
Instructions
For the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat silicone mat.
- In a bowl, using a hand mixer cream the butter with the sugar until light and creamy (2-3 minutes).
- Add the extracts and the eggs, and beat for 1 minute. The mixture might look separated and that’s ok.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. And beat at low speed until just combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out cookie dough balls and then roll them with your hands to create round balls. Place them on the baking sheet 1 inch apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the pan or on a wire rack completely.
To make the glaze and decorate
- In a bowl combine all of the glaze ingredients. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk if necessary.
- Dip each cookie in the glaze, then return to the wire rack (any extra glaze will drip off). Decorate with sprinkles before the glaze sets, I like to glaze a dozen then decorate with sprinkles, then do the rest.
Notes
- Tinting the icing with food coloring is optional, but a great way to make these cookies extra special.
- To Store: Cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid stacking them on top of each other, as the glaze will make them stick together. Freeze these cookies for up to 3 months too.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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