Italian Butter Cookies
Italian butter cookies have a rich, velvety texture with a hint of vanilla. Whip up a batch with just a few ingredients!
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 96kcal
Equipment
- piping bag or cookie press fitted with star tip
- parchment lined cookie sheets
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract May use almond extract instead or a combination
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour TIP: for each cup of flour, replace two tablespoons with cornstarch for crumbly cookies that don't spread as much
For Decorating (your choice):
- maraschino cherries for centers of ring cookies
- jam (cherry, apricot, or what you like) for centers of ring cookies or in the middle of sandwich cookies
- multicolored nonpareils or sprinkles
- semisweet chocolate To melt for dipping (add a touch of cream or coconut oil)
- chopped pistachios
Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
Prepare Cookie Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg yolks, extract, and milk.
- Gradually add the all-purpose flour (and cornstarch if using) to the mixture and stir until a smooth cookie dough forms.
Pipe the Cookies onto Cookie Sheet:
- Transfer the cookie dough into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle.
- On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, pipe out the dough to create various shapes such as horseshoes, sticks, S's, and rings, leaving space between cookies.
- Before baking, you can top rings with sprinkles or jam or maraschino cherries in centers prior to baking.
Bake:
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes OR until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden.
Cool:
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating:
- While they cool, melt the chocolate using a bain-marie or by microwaving the chocolate in short intervals until it's smooth and liquid.
- Dip or drizzle the cookies with the melted chocolate, making sure to decorate them with sprinkles or nuts if desired before the chocolate sets.
Notes
The nutrition estimate doesn't include decorations like sprinkles, nuts, chocolate, jam, etc.
For Piping Bag:
- Place the piping bag in a tall glass or cup with the tip facing down. This makes it easier to fill the bag without getting dough all over your hands.
- Transfer the dough into the piping bag using a rubber spatula. This helps keep your hands clean and ensures all the dough gets into the bag.
- Twist the top of the piping bag closed to prevent the dough from oozing out the top while you pipe the cookies.
- Ensure your cookie press is clean and dry before loading the dough.
- Roll the cookie dough into a log shape that fits the length of your cookie press barrel for easy insertion.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for loading the dough into the cookie press. It may involve removing a cap or using a plunger.
- Secure the cap or plunger firmly to prevent the dough from leaking out while pressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg