Italian Sprinkle Cookies

weather if you are italian or Not these Italian Sprinkle Cookies are going to become a classic in your house. They are such a simple cookies and so delicaitly delisious. they are so soft, buttery, they literly melt in your mouth. packed with lemon and almond flavor then coated with a sweet glaze on top and the best part... SPRINKLES. These Nonpareil are tradition for these cookies but you can use any sprinkles.

these are a classic christmas cookie especially in any italian household. you can use red and green sprinkles to make tem extra festive looking. if you are looking for another christmas cookie try these out;

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Gingerbread Biscotti

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Apricot and almond Thumbprint Cookies with icing

ITALIAN SPRINKLE COOKIES STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

COOKIES

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat your butter until soft and airy. Add your eggs, almond extract, and lemon zest. mix until combined.
2. Over the same bowl sift in your flour, baking powder, salt, and powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
3. Using a tablespoon, measure out your cookies and roll each cookie into a ball. you should get about 42 cookies.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place your cookie balls onto sheet spacing them out about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
5. Cookies should still look pale in color when done. take out and let cool.

GLAZE

1. In a small bowl whisk together your powdered sugar, milk, almond extract and lemon juice. Dip the top half of each cookie into the glaze, allowing excess glaze to drip off into bowl, then transfer to cookie rack.
2. Before glaze hardens sprinkle some sprinkles over the cookies. i like to do them one by one so the glaze does not harden too fast.
3. Serve and enjoy!

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ITALIAN SPRINKLE COOKIES MAIN INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

BUTTER. The best part of these cookies is that they melt in your mouth like butter. This is because they have a lot of butter! I use salted butter and recommend it.

POWDERED SUGAR. i use powdered sugar over regular because it gives a more soft texture and lighter crumb. but this can be replaced with white sugar if needed.

FLOUR. Flour is the bulk of these cookies. flour should be sifted to create a lighter crumb, that will melt in your mouth.

ALMOND EXTRACT. I uses this to give the cookies a hint of almond flavor. if you do not like almond or do not have any you can replace this with vanilla extract.

LEMON. A lot of recipes for Italian sprinkle cookies use lemon extract in both the cookie and the glaze so you can substitute this if you have no fresh lemons. but i am not a fan for lemon extract because i think it tastes artificial so i like to pack these cookies with lemon zest and lemon juice.

SPRINkLES. I use nonpareils. they have the perfect bit to them and look the prettiest. plus they are tradition. but you can substitute these for any sprinkle.

BAKING TIPS

1. If you forget to soften your butter I have a trick. Place your stick in the microwave for 5 seconds. then repeat for the remaining 3 sides of the stick… flipping your stick each time. once done your stick should be perfectly soft throughout.
2. Always use parchment paper or a silicon mat on your cookie sheet. I grew up thinking I was suppose to use butter spray on my cookie sheet when baking cookies… but this is WRONG. Do not do this! This causes burnt and flat cookies
3. use an actual tablespoon to carefully measure out each cookie or use a small cookie scoop. so cookies are even in size.
4. do not press these cookies down. you want them to stay round like a ball
5. put the sprinkles on right after your dip each cookie in the glaze. if you glaze each cookie first then go back and sprinkle them... the glaze will be dry by then.

FAQ

1. Are the cookies suppose to be so pale in color? YES! do not wait for them to get golden in color or they will be over baked and dry.
2. Can I use any sprinkles? yes, traditionally they are topped with nonpareils, but you can use any.
3. Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon zest? Yes, this is more traditionally used but I prefer zest.

STORING AND FREEZING

The cookies should be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days. If freezing the dough or cookies, wrap it up in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Lastly, if you try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how it turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!