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Italian cookies are one of those classic recipes I truly love making. They are soft, lightly sweet, easy to work with, and always look beautiful on a dessert table. I make these almond-flavored cookies with simple pantry ingredients, then finish them with a smooth glaze and colorful sprinkles that instantly make them feel festive and special.
This is the Italian cookies recipe I rely on when I want a traditional cookie that feels homemade, looks impressive, and comes together without stress, whether it is for holidays, parties, or gifting.
I redeveloped this recipe so the dough is easy to work with, the cookies hold their shape, and the glaze sets just right. They are soft inside, lightly crisp on the bottom, and perfect for dipping, stacking, and sharing.
For another homemade cookie recipe that looks like they came straight from the bakery, try my Peppermint Snowball Cookies or my all time favorite Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies (these are the cookies I used to always get when my grandpa took me for a treat to the bakery.)
Ingredients Notes
Cookies
- Unsalted butter – salted butter can be used, reduce added salt
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Almond extract – You can use vanilla extract, but the Almond really gives that rich flavor
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Almond extract – Again, vanilla extract can be substituted, but I really prefer the almond flavor.
- Whole milk
- Garnish
- Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles or any holiday sprinkles to customize for the seaon
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Italian Cookies
Step 1
Mix the dough: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and almond extract. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then slowly mix into the wet ingredients until a thick dough forms.
Step 2
Chill: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm enough to scoop and roll. (This is an important step as it firms up the dough so it is easier to scoop and roll. It also helps hold their shape while baking instead of spreading too much)
Step 3
Preheat and prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 4
Shape: Scoop the dough, roll into smooth balls, and place on parchment lined baking sheets.
Step 5
Bake: Bake at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are pale and the bottoms are lightly golden. Cool completely.
Step 6
Glaze and decorate: Whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth. Dip the tops of cooled cookies into the glaze, let excess drip off, then add sprinkles. Allow the glaze to fully set before serving or storing.
Frequently Asked Questions
That is exactly how it should be. This dough is meant to be thick so the cookies hold their shape and bake up soft instead of flat. Chilling helps firm it up even more so rolling is easier.
Yes. Chilling makes the dough easier to scoop and roll and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If you skip it, you will be fighting sticky dough and saying words you cannot say around kids.
These cookies are supposed to stay light. Bake them just until the bottoms are lightly golden. If the tops brown, they are overbaked and will be dry.
Add milk one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a honey or maple syrup consistency. You want it thin enough to dip but thick enough to stay put.
Yes. Whisk in a little more powdered sugar until it thickens up.
If you add sprinkles right away, they slide off. Waiting a minute or two lets the glaze set just enough so the sprinkles stick without sinking.
You can, but the classic look and texture come from the glaze. Frosting will change the traditional bakery style finish.
A little cracking is normal. If they crack a lot, the dough may be too cold or overmixed. Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling if needed.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment between layers if stacking.
- Make ahead: The dough can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Baked cookies can also be made a day in advance and glazed before serving.
- Freeze: Freeze unglazed cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before glazing and decorating.
More Cookie Recipes to Try Next
If you’ve tried this Italian Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below.
Italian Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter soft room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk start with 2 tablespoons then add the third if needed for consistency
Garnish
- Rainbow-colored nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- Cream together the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer on medium speed.1 cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, being sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next, followed by the whole milk and almond extract. Mix until fully combined. Scrape the bowl and beater as needed to ensure even mixing.3 large eggs, 3 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.2¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour until fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the flour has been evenly incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes or until the batter has chilled enough to easily be scooped and rolled into smooth balls before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop a level amount of dough, place the dough ball into the palm of your hand and gently roll into a smooth ball. Place the dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies have been shaped and placed onto the baking sheets. Each baking sheet should hold 12 dough balls spaced 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies in the center of the oven (1-2 baking sheets at a time according to the size of your oven) for 10-12 minutes or just until the tops are still pale and the bottoms are just barely golden around the edges. If only baking 1 sheet at a time, you can refrigerate the other prepared cookies until ready to bake.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies need to be completely cool before adding the glaze and sprinkles.
- Glaze
- Whisk together in a medium bowl the powdered sugar, almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Add the third tablespoon of milk if needed to achieve a consistency that is similar to honey or maple syrup. It should be thin enough to easily dip the tops of the cookies into, yet thick enough to hold its shape and not run down the sides of the cookies.2 cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon almond extract, 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
- Dip the top of a cooled cookie into the glaze, allowing all the excess glaze to drip back into the bowl, then place back onto the wire rack. Repeat with 2-3 more cookies before adding the sprinkles to the tops of the glazed cookies. Dipping 3-4 cookies, then going back to add the sprinkles gives the glaze just enough time to start to set, yet still be plenty soft, so that the sprinkles do not slide off the top of the cookie but do stick to the glaze when added. Repeat until all the cookies have been glazed and garnished with sprinkles.Rainbow-colored nonpareil sprinkles
- Allow the cookies to sit at room temperature until the glaze has fully hardened before plating or stacking for storage.
Jenn’s Notes
- Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment between layers if stacking.
- Reheat: Italian wedding cookies do not need reheating, but if desired, you can warm them briefly in the microwave for 5 to 8 seconds to soften the texture. Do not overheat or the glaze may melt.
- Make ahead: The dough can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Baked cookies can also be made a day in advance and glazed before serving.
- Freeze: Freeze unglazed cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before glazing and decorating.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs so the dough mixes evenly.
- For quicker chilling, scoop the dough onto baking sheets first, then refrigerate before rolling.
- Do not overbake. The cookies should stay pale on top with lightly golden bottoms.
- Adjust glaze thickness by adding milk a little at a time until it resembles honey.
- Add sprinkles shortly after glazing so they stick without sliding off.
Great recipe! First time making these and my whole family LOVED them. Just like the ones my mother in law use to make. Saving this for sure!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Simply delicious. This is my first time making cookies. Easy to make also.
So glad you think so! Enjoy!
In the process of making these cookies. What size scoop should I use?
I used a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop
Easy, and delicious. Grandkids loved helping.
So glad you all enjoyed making them! (and hopefully eating them too!)