I made these Italian Christmas cookies at 11 PM in my pajamas because I found a bag of flour and a bottle of anise extract, and the idea of turning on the oven felt genuinely offensive. I had already burned something earlier that day, so my kitchen smelled like regret. Then I remembered my grandmother’s traditional italian christmas cookie recipe, the one she made every December while telling us to stop eating the raw dough.
I tried it anyway, and I am glad I did. These Italian Christmas cookies use flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, melted butter, anise extract, powdered sugar, milk, and rainbow nonpareils. You mix the dough, scoop rounded balls, bake them at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, then dip the cooled cookies in anise glaze. They turn out soft, cakey, and lightly sweet for a cookie exchange, holiday party, or Christmas dessert table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No chilling required: Mix, scoop, and bake the cookies in under an hour.
- Kid-friendly: Children can roll the dough into balls and dunk the cookies in glaze.
- Budget-friendly: Most ingredients already sit in the pantry.
- Make-ahead friendly: The cookies taste better the next day.
- Cake-like texture: Baking powder creates soft, cakey cookies.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- Cookie scoop: Portion uniform balls. Two spoons work as well.
- Baking sheets: Use light-colored metal sheets for even browning. Dark nonstick pans can burn the bottoms.
- Wire rack: Cool and glaze the cookies. A clean dish towel works in a pinch, though the bottoms may become soggy.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – Spoon and level it, or your cookies will be dry and crumbly.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder – Yes, a whole tablespoon. It sounds like a lot, but it gives these cookies their signature cake-like texture.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt – Balances the sweetness.
- 1 cup granulated sugar – Just regular white sugar.
- 3 large eggs – Room temperature eggs mix more smoothly, but cold ones work if you’re impatient like me.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled – Melt it and let it sit for a few minutes so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- 2 teaspoons anise extract – This is the star. If you don’t like anise, you can use vanilla or almond extract instead.
- For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar – Sifted if you want a smooth glaze. I never sift and it’s fine, just a few lumps.
- 3-4 tablespoons milk – Start with 3 and add more if needed.
- 1/2 teaspoon anise extract – For the glaze, because double anise is double the fun.
- Rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles – For decorating. The classic Italian ones are tiny and colorful.
How To Make Italian Christmas Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This dough comes together fast, so get everything ready before you start mixing.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. If you skip the whisking, you might get a pocket of baking powder that tastes like metal. Not fun.
- Cream sugar and eggs: In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. You can use a hand mixer or a whisk and some elbow grease. It should look pale yellow.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the melted butter and anise extract until well combined. Make sure your butter isn’t hot, or you’ll scramble the eggs. If that happens, just strain it and start over. It’s fixable.
- Combine: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Don’t overmix, or the cookies will be tough.
- Scoop and bake: Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden. The tops will stay pale. That’s normal.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If you glaze them while warm, the glaze will melt and run off. Patience, my friend.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and anise extract until smooth. The consistency should be like thick glue. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Glaze and decorate: Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, letting the excess drip off. Place on a wire rack and immediately sprinkle with nonpareils. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before storing. Try not to eat them all before they set. I dare you.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Chill sticky dough: Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes if it becomes too soft to scoop.
- Avoid overnight chilling: The dough becomes rock hard if chilled overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes if that happens.
- Use vanilla, almond, or lemon extract: Substitute either extract for anise extract if preferred. [suggested substitution, untested]
- Freeze unglazed cookies: Bake, cool, and freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature and glaze before serving.
- Glaze after thawing: The glaze becomes weepy after freezing.
Perfect Pairings
These go perfectly with a strong cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk, but here are a few more ideas.
- Hot espresso cuts through the sweet glaze.
- A glass of Vin Santo makes the cookie plate feel festive.
- A game day spread gives the cookies a poppable, low-mess place beside other treats.
- These glazed holiday cookies finish a big holiday dinner without leaving anyone stuffed.
How to Store
❤
- Room temperature: Store glazed cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The glaze may become sticky if refrigerated.
- Freezer: Freeze unglazed cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Keep them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature and glaze before serving.
- Reheat: Microwave a cookie for 10 seconds if needed. Do not overheat it because it becomes tough.
- Note: The glaze does not freeze well because it becomes weepy when thawed. Always glaze after thawing.
Italian Christmas Cookies
These Italian Christmas cookies combine 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, anise extract, powdered sugar, milk, and rainbow nonpareils. You bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, cool them completely, then dip them in anise glaze and decorate them with sprinkles. Make these Italian Christmas cookies for a cookie exchange, holiday party, or Christmas dessert table when you need a traditional italian christmas cookie recipe.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the OvenPreheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the Dry IngredientsIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside. Whisking helps distribute the baking powder throughout the flour and prevents concentrated pockets in the finished cookies.
- Cream the Sugar and EggsIn a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together for about 2 minutes, until light, fluffy, and pale yellow. You can use either a hand mixer or a whisk. The mixture should look slightly thicker and airy.
- Add the Wet IngredientsPour in the cooled melted butter and add the anise extract. Beat until everything is well combined. Make sure the melted butter has cooled before adding it to the eggs to prevent them from cooking.
- Combine the IngredientsGradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Avoid overmixing, as this can make the cookies tough.
- Scoop and BakeUsing a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. The tops should remain pale, which is completely normal for these cookies.
- Cool the CookiesAllow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before glazing. If the cookies are still warm, the glaze will melt and run off instead of setting properly.
- Prepare the GlazeIn a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and anise extract until smooth. The glaze should have a thick, glue-like consistency. If it is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time. If it becomes too thin, add a little more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Glaze and DecorateDip the top of each completely cooled cookie into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Place the glazed cookies on a wire rack and immediately decorate with rainbow nonpareil sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before storing or serving the cookies.