I don’t know about you but I love, love, love Italian butter cookies. You know the ones I mean – the kind you always get on cookie trays. With the jam in the middle, or dipped in chocolate with sprinkles?
I always looked forward to stealing one or two or ten when a box of cookies showed up but never thought I would ever actually bake them. And guess what? They are not that hard to make at all. They do require a bit of well, butter as you might expect from their name. So read on to learn how to make these delightfully delicious treats.
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Italian Butter Cookies Recipe
The number it makes is rather fluid depending upon what sizes and shapes you choose.
For the cookies:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup, unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBS whole milk if needed
For Decorations
- jam of choice – I used peach
- semi sweet chocolate for melting
- unsalted butter
- sprinkles and non pareils
- Preheat oven to 350
- line baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Mix in the egg yolks, one at a time, then add the vanilla.
- At low speed gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated. IF the dough seems too dry you can add the milk at this time, 1/2 TBS at a time. (I did not need to add the milk) You want a soft but still slightly sticky dough.
- Now you form your cookies – you can use a piping bag and an open star tip or do as I did – portion out about 1 tsp of dough, roll it into a ball and then press a shape into the center. (I used a Russian piping tip)
- For the filled cookies I portioned out 2 tsp sections of dough, made little logs, pressed them down and then used the tines of a fork to make the indentations.
- Add about a quarter teaspoon of jam to the indentation in the center
- Bake on the prepared baking sheets in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes for the smaller, round cookies and slightly longer for the larger cookies. Turn once during baking.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate:
- For the dipped cookies: melt the semi sweet chocolate with the butter. Dip half the cookie in the chocolate and set on waxed paper to cool.
- If desired dip in sprinkles or non-pareils
- You can also drizzle a little chocolate over the jammy cookies if desired
How Were the Italian Butter Cookies?
Seriously delicious. Just as buttery as you would imagine and the chocolate added the perfect compliment. These did not last long.
PrintItalian Butter Cookies Recipe
Delicious, traditional butter cookies. Some dipped in chocolate, some with jammy centers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup, unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBS whole milk if needed
For Decorations
- jam of choice – I used peach
- semi sweet chocolate for melting
- unsalted butter
- sprinkles and non pareils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- line baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Mix in the egg yolks, one at a time, then add the vanilla.
- At low speed gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated. IF the dough seems too dry you can add the milk at this time, 1/2 TBS at a time. (I did not need to add the milk) You want a soft but still slightly sticky dough.
- Now you form your cookies – you can use a piping bag and an open star tip or do as I did – portion out about 1 tsp of dough, roll it into a ball and then press a shape into the center. (I used a Russian piping tip)
- For the filled cookies I portioned out 2 tsp sections of dough, made little logs, pressed them down and then used the tines of a fork to make the indentations.
- Add about a quarter teaspoon of jam to the indentation in the center
- Bake on the prepared baking sheets in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes for the smaller, round cookies and slightly longer for the larger cookies. Turn once during baking.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate:
- For the small, round cookies just add a small drop of jam to the center of the cookie. I used my homemade peach.
- For the dipped cookies: melt the semi sweet chocolate with the butter. Dip half the cookie in the chocolate and set on waxed paper to cool.
- If desired dip in sprinkles or non-pareils
