Italian Christmas Cookies

These Italian Christmas cookies are buttery, tender, and melt in your mouth with a thick powdered sugar coating perfect for holiday platters and gifting.

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Course: Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: homemade Italian Christmas cookies, Italian butter cookies, Italian Christmas cookies, Italian Christmas cookies recipe, Italian holiday cookies, traditional Italian cookies

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Cooling & Coating Time: 30

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: cookies

Calories: 95kcal

Cost: $8.50

Equipment

2 Baking sheets For baking the cookies evenly
1 Parchment paper To line baking sheets and prevent sticking
1 Stand mixer or hand mixer To cream butter and sugar properly
2 Mixing bowls One for wet ingredients, one for dry
1 Cookie scoop For consistent cookie sizes (optional but helpful)
1 Wire cooling rack To cool cookies before coating
1 Shallow bowl For rolling cookies in powdered sugar
1 Oven thermometer To ensure accurate baking temperature

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 2 cups powdered sugar for coating
▢ Sprinkles or colored sugar optional for decoration

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar for 3-4 minutes using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. The butter must be room temperature—soft enough to indent but not melting.
Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add almond extract and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and salt until evenly combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture on low speed. Mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour—do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.
Roll tablespoon-sized portions of dough into smooth balls using your hands or a cookie scoop. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. You can also shape them into crescents, rings, or flatten slightly for variety.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully. The bottoms should be lightly golden while the tops remain completely pale. Do not let the tops brown—this is crucial for tender cookies. They will look slightly underdone when you remove them.
Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
While cookies are still slightly warm (not hot), place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cookie until completely coated. Set back on the wire rack.
Once cookies have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar a second time for that thick, snowy coating. Add sprinkles after the first coating if desired.
Serve and enjoy your Italian Christmas cookies! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

The secret to perfect Italian Christmas cookies is room temperature butter for proper creaming, gentle baking so the tops stay pale, and double coating in powdered sugar for that beautiful snowy finish. These keep for 2 weeks at room temperature or freeze beautifully for up to 3 months—making them perfect for holiday prep and gifting.

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