Rhiannon Hendricks
Italian wedding cookies are a traditional cookie that is often served at weddings and holidays. They are simple, lightly sweetened cookies that are usually flavoured with anise, almond, or lemon and then dipped in a sweet sugar glaze. The cookies are soft and buttery, almost melt-in-your-mouth, and not overly sweet. The baking time for Italian wedding cookies varies depending on the recipe, but it typically ranges from 10 to 20 minutes. The cookies are then allowed to cool for about 15 minutes before being rolled in confectioners' sugar or a sweet glaze and sprinkles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Oven temperature | 325°F-350°F |
| Baking time | 10-20 minutes |
| Ingredients | Butter, flour, confectioners' sugar, salt, almonds, vanilla extract, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, eggs, lemon extract, sprinkles |
| Storage | Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to 6 months |
| Notes | The dough can be frozen for later use, and the cookies can be glazed and decorated with sprinkles |
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What You'll Learn
Oven temperature: 325-350°F for 10-20 minutes
To make Italian wedding cookies, preheat your oven to 325°F to 350°F. While the oven is preheating, you can prepare the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. You can add a bit of salt to enhance the flavor. Next, add in the vanilla extract, and ground walnuts and hazelnuts. Start adding in the flour gradually until everything is mixed in. You can also add in almond extract for extra flavor.
Once the dough is ready, roll it into 1-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. You can shape the dough into crescents using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie, or make them into golf ball-sized balls. If you want to make a large batch of cookies, you can shape the dough into smaller balls.
Now, place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10-20 minutes. The cookies will be ready when the tops remain white and the bottoms are slightly browned. Do not let the cookies brown all over. Once they are done, let them cool for about 15 minutes. They should be slightly warm when you roll them in the remaining confectioners' sugar so that the sugar adheres better. You can also dust them with powdered sugar and edible glitter dust, or coat them with tons of powdered sugar.
You can store Italian wedding cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you want to freeze the cookies, it is best to freeze the dough before baking and rolling them in powdered sugar.
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Ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon, almond, walnuts, hazelnuts
Italian wedding cookies are simple to make and are often flavoured with butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon, almond, walnuts, and hazelnuts. They are sometimes called Mexican wedding cookies or butterballs and can be shaped into crescents.
To make the dough, start by creaming the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer for this step. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, until they are combined. Then, add the vanilla extract and a small amount of lemon zest or extract, mixing until combined. If you want a stronger almond flavour, you can replace the vanilla extract with almond extract. Next, slowly add the flour/baking powder and combine until mixed. You can also add a pinch of salt to enhance the other ingredients' flavours without making the cookies taste salty.
Once the dough is mixed, shape it into balls or crescents using about 1 teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Place the shaped dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie. You can also use an ungreased cookie sheet, as these are butter cookies and won't stick.
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. If you prefer a softer cookie, bake for a shorter time. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before handling. Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar or dip them in a sweet glaze made from whisking together powdered sugar, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. You can also top the glazed cookies with rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles.
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Mixing: combine dry ingredients, then beat in wet ingredients
To make Italian wedding cookies, you'll first want to gather and prepare your ingredients. For dry ingredients, you'll need flour, confectioners' sugar, and ground almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts. For wet ingredients, you'll need butter, vanilla extract, eggs, and, if you're making a glaze, milk. You may also want to add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour of the other ingredients.
Once you have your ingredients, it's time to start mixing. First, combine your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. You'll want to use a whisk or a mixer to blend them together until they're fully incorporated.
Next, you'll want to gradually add your wet ingredients. If you're using butter, start by creaming it in a separate bowl until it's soft and fluffy. Then, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue mixing until it's light and fluffy. This process is important to ensure a smooth and creamy consistency for your cookies. Once your butter and sugar are fully incorporated, you can beat in the vanilla extract and eggs.
If you're using a stand mixer, you can gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients on low speed. However, if you're mixing by hand, you'll want to slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Mix until the ingredients are just combined, and you have a stiff dough.
At this point, your Italian wedding cookie dough is ready to be shaped and baked! Remember to preheat your oven before baking, and if you're making a glaze, be sure to let the cookies cool slightly before dipping or glazing.
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Shaping: roll dough into 1-inch balls, 2 inches apart on a baking sheet
Shaping Italian wedding cookies is a straightforward process. Once you have prepared your dough, roll it into 1-inch balls. You can do this by hand or use a small ice-cream scoop to get a more uniform shape and size. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. This spacing is important as it gives the cookies room to cook evenly without overlapping. Depending on the size of your cookies, you should be able to fit quite a few on one baking sheet.
Italian wedding cookies are known for their delicate, crumbly texture, so it's important not to overwork the dough when shaping them. Handle the dough with care and try not to pack it too tightly when rolling it into balls. The dough may seem sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour as this can toughen the cookies. If you're having trouble with stickiness, you can lightly dampen your hands with water or chill the dough briefly in the refrigerator to make it easier to work with.
The shaping step is also where you can get creative with your Italian wedding cookies. While traditionally they are shaped into balls, you can also form the dough into other shapes such as crescents or knots. If you're feeling festive, you can even use cookie cutters to create holiday-themed shapes. Keep in mind that the baking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of your shaped cookies, so keep an eye on them while they're in the oven to avoid overcooking.
Once you've shaped your cookies and spaced them evenly on the baking sheet, they're ready to be baked! Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature, usually around 325-350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for about 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies or 15-20 minutes for larger ones. The cookies are done when the tops are still white and the bottoms are only slightly browned. Allow them to cool slightly before handling, and then roll them in powdered sugar or glaze for that classic melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweet finish.
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Cooling
Cooling is an important step in the process of making Italian wedding cookies. After baking, the cookies need to be cooled before they can be handled and decorated. The cookies should be allowed to cool for a brief period, just until they are cool enough to handle, as they need to be warm to ensure the sugar adheres to them. If the cookies are allowed to cool for too long, the sugar may not stick as effectively.
The ideal cooling time for Italian wedding cookies appears to be around 15 minutes. This allows the cookies to be slightly cooled but still warm, which is the perfect temperature for rolling them in confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar. A slight variation in cooling time is mentioned by one source, suggesting that a shorter time than 15 minutes is preferable to ensure the cookies are still warm enough.
It is worth noting that the cookies will continue to cook and firm up as they cool, so it is important not to overbake them in the oven to avoid dryness. Allowing the cookies to cool also helps to set their structure and ensures they hold together when handled. Once the cookies have cooled slightly, they can be rolled or coated in confectioners' sugar, powdered sugar, or a sweet glaze, and decorated with sprinkles.
If you plan to freeze the cookies, it is best to do so before adding the glaze or decorations. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, transfer the cookies to a freezer bag or airtight container for longer-term storage.
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Frequently asked questions
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies will remain white, and the bottoms will be slightly browned.
Let the cookies cool for about 15 minutes before coating them in confectioner's sugar.
You can store Italian wedding cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
You can freeze Italian wedding cookies for up to six months.
