Italian Easter Cookies Recipe
These Italian Easter Cookies are a festive sweet treat that are easy to make. The holiday cookies are finished with a bright glaze icing and sprinkled with sugar.
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What ingredients do I need for the Italian Easter Cookies?
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Powdered sugar
- Food coloring
- Sanding Sugar
Looking for more ideas for Easter baking? Give these reader favorites a try!
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How do I make the Italian Easter Cookies?
Step 1: Prepare the dry ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 5 minutes or until creamy. Add the sugar, scraping down the sides, and continue beating until fluffy.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beating until well blended.
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Step 3: Form the cookies
Beat the flour mixture into the batter just until blended. Portion the dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls into a 5 inch rope. Twist the rope into a knot. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake the Italian Easter Cookes
Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Step 5 : Make the icing for the knot cookies
Mix together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until well blended. Then, add in the powdered sugar, mixing until the icing is formed. To create vibrant colors, divide the icing evenly between 4 small bowls. Add drops of different colors of food coloring to each bowl and mix.
Step 6: Decorate the cookies
Invert the cookies and dip in the icing. Immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar, so that sticks to the icing. Store cookies in an airtight covered container for up to five days. Place wax paper between layers of cookies to prevent cookies sticking together.
Italian Easter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 ¾ cups flour
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the icing:
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
- Food coloring I used pink, blue, yellow and purple
- Sanding sugar
Instructions
To make the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 5 minutes or until creamy. Add the sugar, scraping down the sides, and continue beating until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beating until well blended.
- Beat the flour mixture into the batter just until blended.
- Portion the dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls into a 5 inch rope. Twist the rope into a knot. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
To make the icing and decorate the cookies:
- Mix together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until well blended. Then, add in the powdered sugar, mixing until the icing is formed. To create vibrant colors, divide the icing evenly between 4 small bowls. Add drops of different colors of food coloring to each bowl and mix. Invert the cookies and dip in the icing. Immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar so that it sticks to the icing.
