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Home » Christmas Cookies » Italian Christmas Cookies

Italian Christmas Cookies

Published: Nov 7, 2023 · Modified: Dec 13, 2023 by Arlene Mobley · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Italian Christmas Cookies featured long vertical image.

The holiday season is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with some scrumptious homemade Christmas cookies?

These mouth-watering Italian Christmas Cookies are rich in flavor, and a delight to share with family and friends.

The combination of the soft pillow-like center is complimented by the sweet almond flavored frosting. Its a perfect combination of flavors that everyone will love as a holiday treat.

If you are looking for Christmas Cookie Exchange recipes this is a perfect cookie recipe to make.

Italian Christmas Cookies featured long vertical image.

Holiday Cookies

Join me on a delicious adventure as we create the most amazing Italian Christmas cookies. These festive treats will wow your loved ones and capture the heartwarming magic of the holiday season.

Get ready to savor every bite and spread joy with the true essence of Christmas!

Goes perfect with coffee after dinner

🥣Recipe Prep

  • Soften the butter on the counter for 2 hours or more until the butter is completely softened. If it is chilly in your home this will take longer.
  • Bring the eggs to room temperature.
  • Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Italian Christmas Cookies Dough Ingredients

Below is a quick look at the ingredients and directions. You can find the entire ingredient amounts and step by step directions in the recipe card below. P. S. You can also save your favorite recipes to your personal recipe box! ⬇️

Italian Christmas Cookies dough ingredients premeasured.

👇See the step by step directions below!

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make a traditional Italian Christmas cookie dough.

  • Softened Unsalted Butter: The butter provides flavor and richness to your cookies. Softened butter is easier to mix with other ingredients, helping to create a smooth dough.
  • Granulated White Sugar: This is the primary sweetener in your cookie dough. It not only adds sweetness but also aids in creating a nice golden brown color when your cookies bake.
  • Eggs: Eggs act as a binding agent in your dough, ensuring all your ingredients hold together well. They also contribute to the overall richness and taste of your cookies.
  • Ricotta Cheese: A classic ingredient in Italian baking, ricotta cheese gives your cookies a unique, slightly tangy flavor and a soft, moist texture.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract: This enhances the flavors in your cookies, giving them a warm, rich depth of flavor.
  • All-Purpose Flour: This is the most commonly used type of flour in baking because it has a balanced protein content that allows it to form gluten, giving baked goods structure and shape. It's versatile and can be used in a wide range of recipes.
  • Salt: While not a leavening agent itself, salt plays an important role in baking by strengthening the gluten structure in dough and enhancing the flavors of other ingredients.
  • Baking Powder: This is a leavening agent that causes dough to rise. It does this by producing carbon dioxide gas when mixed with liquid and heat, creating bubbles that make the dough expand.

With these ingredients at hand, you're all set to start preparing your Italian Christmas cookie dough!

🥄Step by Step Directions

  • Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer.
  • Step 2: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. After the third egg scrape the bowl and beat 1 minute.
  • Step 3: Beat in the ricotta cheese and vanilla extract.
Step by step image collage mixing wet ingredients.
  • Step 4: In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients together.
Whisking the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  • Step 5: Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar and butter mixture at a time beating it in.

Switch to a wooden spoon if the mixer starts to strain. Mix until combined completely. No streaks of flour should be visible. Scrape the bottom of the bowl where flour tends to accumulate.

Four collage image each step adding flour into the wet ingredients.
  • Step 6: Refrigerate the dough 1 to 2 hours before making the cookies. The soft dough needs to firm up or the cookies will spread.
The chilled cookie dough in a bowl with a dough scoop.
  • Step 7: Drop the cookie dough by a rounded teaspoon or a 1 inch dough scoop onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Leave 2 inches between each cookie.
Italian Christmas cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
  • Step 8: Bake the cookies in the 350 F. degree preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Baked Italian Christmas Cookies cooling on a wire rack.

Italian Christmas Cookies Frosting Ingredients

You'll need five key ingredients to make a delightful Italian Christmas cookie frosting.

Italian Christmas cookies frosting ingredients premeasured.
  • Butter: A staple in most dessert recipes, butter adds richness and creaminess to your frosting. It's the base that provides a smooth texture and helps blend all other ingredients together.
  • Confectioners' sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this ingredient is what gives the frosting its sweet flavor. It dissolves easily, making it ideal for creating a smooth and creamy frosting.
  • Almond extract: This is what gives your frosting that distinct, aromatic flavor associated with Italian desserts. It's potent, so a little goes a long way.
  • Milk: This helps to thin out the frosting to your desired consistency. It also contributes to the overall creaminess of the frosting.
  • Christmas sprinkles or Nonpareils: These are for decoration. They add color and a festive touch to your cookies. Christmas sprinkles come in various shapes and colors, while nonpareils are tiny round balls usually in one color.

With these ingredients, you're well on your way to making a delicious frosting for your Italian Christmas cookies!

🥣Make the Frosting

Make the frosting right before you plan on frosting the cookies. If left exposed to the air the frosting will start to dry out and form a hard sugar crust. It will be impossible to bring the frosting back to a smooth consistency if this happens.

  • Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and almond extract together until creamy.
  • Step 2: Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to the bowl at a time and beat into the butter.
  • Step 3: As the butter and sugar mixture gets difficult to beat add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time. Continue until all the powdered sugar and milk have been added. The frosting will be thick and fluffy.
Beating Italian cookie frosting ingredients in a bowl.
  • Step 4: To frost the cookies hold a cooled cookie by the bottom edges and kiss the top of the cookie to the surface of the frosting. Lift the cookie straight up and place it down on a clean cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Dipping cooled Italian cookies into a bowl of frosting.
  • Step 5: Immediately sprinkle the top with nonpareils or sprinkles of choice. Repeat with each cookie. There is enough frosting to decorate the entire batch of cookies. This recipe will make ninety-six or 8 dozen 2 ½ inch cookies.
Dipping and decorating the cookies then placing on a sheet pan to harden.
  • Step 6: Allow the frosting to harden and form a crust before storing or the tops of the cookies will get messed up. This can take up to a few hours or even overnight depending on the temperature and humidity of your home.
  • Step 7: Once the frosting has hardened store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. Refrigerate the cookies until needed.
Frosted Italian Christmas cookies on a baking sheet.

Because the frosting is made using butter and milk the cookies need to be refrigerated.

Makes 8 dozen cookies

Cookie Decoration Suggestions

Italian Christmas cookies are known for their festive and colorful decoration.

  • Sprinkles or Colored Sugar Crystals: Both of these add a pop of color and a slight crunch to your cookies. They can be added before baking or adhered with icing after baking.
  • Icing or Glaze: A simple vanilla glaze is often used on Italian Christmas cookies. You can also use colored icing for a more festive look.
Italian Christmas cookies decorated with blue and white sprinkles.

Recipe FAQS

Do you need to chill Italian Christmas cookie dough?

Chilling cookie dough before baking is a crucial step for several reasons, most importantly to ensure that the cookies maintain their shape during baking.

What is the best way to store Italian Christmas cookies after baking?

The best way to store Italian Christmas cookies after baking is to place them in a single layer in an airtight plastic food container. This will protect the cookies and frosting. If milk or butter was used to make the frosting you should store the container of cookies in the refrigerator.

What are some tips for decorating Italian Christmas cookies?

Pillowy Italian Christmas cookies can be decorated with a powdered sugar glaze, or buttercream frosting and sprinkled with holiday themed nonpareils or sprinkles.

📌Pro Cooking Tips

  • Always start with room temperature ingredients when making cookies.
  • Make sure the baking powder is fresh and lump free.
  • chilling the dough: always chill the cookie dough before baking.
  • cooling the cookies: wire racks allow air flow to circulate around the entire cookie as it cools. It allows the bottom of the cookie to stay crisp. If your cookies always turn out soft on the bottom next time you are baking cookies try using a wire rack to cool them.
  • Christmas cookie exchange recipe: this recipe is perfect for a cookie exchange. Grab these Christmas Cookie Exchange freebies.
Italian Riccota Christmas cookies served on a red cake stand.

🎄Celebrate the season

Celebrate the joy of the holiday season by baking up a batch of Italian Christmas Cookies to celebrate with family and friends. Or share a batch at a Christmas cookie exchange this year.

So invite over some of your closest friends and family and share this holiday cookie recipe at a cookie exchange party. Learn how to host a holiday cookie exchange here.

🎄More Christmas Cookie Recipes

Looking for more Christmas cookie inspiration? We've got you covered! Whether you're baking for a cookie exchange, gifting to neighbors, or simply enjoying with your family, we have an array of delightful recipes to make your holiday season even sweeter.

  • Cherry Blossom Cookies on a pink glass cookie stand.
    Cherry Blossom Cookies
  • A holiday plate with a variety of German Christmas cookies made with a German Spritz Cookies recipe
    German Spritz Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossum Cookies on a holiday cake stand.
    Easy Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Christmas Sandwich Cookies
    Christmas Sandwich Cookies

⭐Leave a Star Rating

Have you tried the recipe? Leave a star rating in the recipe card below to let me know how the recipe turn out.

Email questions or recipe requests to flouronmyface@gmail.com. Follow me on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Italian Christmas Cookies on a holiday plate.

Italian Christmas Cookies

Arlene Mobley - Flour On My Face
Need a show stopping cookie recipe for your upcoming holiday gatherings? Try out this simple step by step guide to making Italian Christmas cookies and frosting - perfect for any cookie exchange!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Chilling 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian-American
Servings 96 Cookies
Calories 86 kcal

Ingredients  

Cookie Dough Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 15 oz. Ricotta cheese
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting Ingredients

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • Christmas sprinkles or non perils
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Instructions 

Cookie Dough Directions

  • Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. After the third egg scrape the bowl and beat 1 minute.
  • Beat in the ricotta cheese and vanilla extract.
  • In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients together.
  • Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar and butter mixture at a time beating it in. Switch to a wooden spoon if the mixer starts to strain. Mix until combined completely. No streaks of flour should be visible. Scrape the bottom of the bowl where flour tends to accumulate.
  • Refrigerate the dough 1 to 2 hours before making the cookies. The soft dough needs to firm up or the cookies will spread.
  • Drop the cookie dough by a rounded teaspoon or a 1 inch dough scoop onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Leave 2 inches between each cookie.
  • Bake the cookies in the 350 °F. degree preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Italian Christmas Cookies Frosting Directions

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and almond extract together until creamy.
  • Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to the bowl at a time and beat into the butter.
  • As the butter and sugar mixture gets difficult to beat add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time. Continue until all the powdered sugar and milk have been added. The frosting will be thick and fluffy.
  • To frost the cookies hold a cooled cookie by the bottom edges and kiss the top of the cookie to the surface of the frosting. Lift the cookie straight up and place it down on a clean cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Immediately sprinkle the top with nonpareils or sprinkles of choice. Repeat with each cookie. There is enough frosting to decorate the entire batch of cookies.
  • Allow the frosting to harden and form a crust before storing or the tops of the cookies will get messed up. This can take up to a few hours or even overnight depending on the temperature and humidity of your home.
  • Once the frosting has hardened store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. Refrigerate the cookies until needed.
  • This recipe will make ninety-six or 8 dozen 2 ½ inch cookies.

Recipe Expert Tips

  • Always start with room temperature ingredients when making cookies.
  • Make sure the baking powder is fresh and lump free.
  • chilling the dough: always chill the cookie dough before baking.
  • cooling the cookies: wire racks allow air flow to circulate around the entire cookie as it cools. It allows the bottom of the cookie to stay crisp. If your cookies always turn out soft on the bottom next time you are baking cookies try using a wire rack to cool them.
  • Christmas cookie exchange recipe: this recipe is perfect for a cookie exchange.

Nutrition

Serving: 2CookiesCalories: 86kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 54mgPotassium: 14mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 103IUCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe?Share a picture on Instagram and tag @flouronmyface2

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About Arlene Mobley

Arlene Mobley author of Flour On My Face-a Food & Lifestyle website helping busy families get dinner on the table by serving easy recipes every week.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lyndsey

    November 15, 2023 at 8:42 pm

    These sound fantastic! I will be adding these to my list of Christmas cookies this year. Visiting from perfectlyimperfect-lwl

    Reply
  2. Estelle Forrest

    November 15, 2023 at 7:20 pm

    I haven't had these in years - I think I'll have to make some this year. Thanks for sharing on SSPS, hope to see you again next week.

    Reply
  3. Esme Slabbert

    November 15, 2023 at 5:44 pm

    Looking so good and perfect Christmas bake
    Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your links with us at SSPS #287. We would love to have you on board as a co-host, so please get in touch with us.

    Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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Hi, I'm Arlene Mobley the cook & photographer here at Flour On My Face. I have been cooking for my family for over 40 years. I love sharing recipes to help busy families get dinner on the table.

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