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You are here: Home / Holidays / Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Christmas Desserts Holidays Recipes
Published: November 15, 2020 | Last Updated: December 30, 2020 | Author: Lois

Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Best Italian Christmas Cookies – lemony cookies topped with a sweetened glaze and fun colorful sprinkles. These are a classic Italian cookie that can be served year round but are very popular around the holidays. Let me show you how to make one of our family’s favorite Christmas cookie recipes with you!

Best Italian Christmas Cookies with red and green sprinkles

These cookie recipes will be great for hosting a cookie exchange, give away cookies as gifts or just bake for your own family, If you do plan on giving them as gifts, print out the FREE Christmas recipe cards so you can easily write out the recipe to give as part of the gift.

If you need gift tags, there are some really cute ones over in the WOS Shop.

Christmas Cookie Recipes

This recipe for Best Italian Christmas Cookies is my mom’s recipe. My mom has been making this cookie recipe for years. She makes them for all our family gatherings, parties, weddings, etc.

Every Christmas she bakes these cookies along with her Pizzelle Cookie Recipe and Italian Ricotta Cookies and gives them as gifts to her hairdressers. Her hairdressers started calling them, “Italian Lady Cookies” because, well my mom is Italian.

This was my first time baking these Italian Christmas cookies. My sister actually came over a few weeks ago and together we baked 7 different Christmas cookie recipes. Doesn’t that sound exciting?

The Italian Christmas Cookies are delicious. This recipe never, ever fails.

Glazed cookies with crushed peppermint candies.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Affiliate Disclosure:  This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, click here.

  • Rubber spatula
  • Measuring spoons
  • Cookie scoops
  • Parchment Baking Sheets
  • Crushed Candy Cane Pieces
  • Colorful Sprinkles

Ingredients

Exact measurements are listed below in the recipe card. Make sure you scroll down to print and save the recipe for later!

For the Cookies

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking sodea
  • Salt
  • Eggs
  • White sugar
  • Butter
  • Lemon Extract – see note below

For the Glaze

  • Confectioner’s Sugar/Powdered Sugar
  • Lemon Extract
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Warm Milk
  • Assorted Christmas sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies

Baking Tip: Feel free to substitute the lemon extract with anise, orange or even vanilla extract if you prefer.

Ingredients for Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer beat together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the lemon extract.

Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually beat in the flour mixture until all is blended.

Mixing the batter for the cookies by adding eggs, lemon extract and flour.

Baking Instructions

Using a small cookie scoop, place the cookies on a baking tray that’s been lined with Parchment Baking Sheets.

Place cookies on parchment lined baking tray

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until the bottom of the cookies are a light golden brown.

Baked cookies on parchment lined baking tray

Remove the cookies from the baking tray to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not try to glaze them while the cookies are still warm. The glaze will melt into the cookie and they won’t look as pretty as the photographs.

Holding one baked cookie to show cooked on bottom

How to Glaze the Cookies

Prepare the glaze by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. If you find that the glaze is too thick, add another few tablespoons of milk.

Ingredients for glaze for Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and immediately add the nonpareils, sprinkles or Crushed Candy Cane Pieces.

Adding and Dipping Cookies in Glaze

The glaze hardens pretty quickly so if you wait too long, the sprinkles, nonpareils or crushed candy cane pieces will not stick.

Let the cookies set until dried completely before storing in an air-tight container.

Add sprinkles to Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Frequently Asked Recipe Questions

Can you freeze Italian Christmas cookies?

These cookies freeze really well. Allow the glazed and decorated cookies to harden completely. Then place them on a baking tray that’s been lined with parchment paper for about 30 minutes. Remove the cookies from the tray and then place them in a freezer-safe container or plastic baggie.

How far in advance can you make Christmas cookies?

This is a funny question to me, because, my Italian grandmother would start baking Christmas cookies months before and freeze them. She would ship a box of cookies to us a few weeks before Christmas and they were always delicious and always in perfect condition.
You can also make the dough a few days ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Italian Christmas Cookies with crushed peppermint candies in Christmas tin.

Tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to rate it!

Glazed lemon cookies with red, green and white sprinkles.

Ready for More Christmas Cookie Recipes?

  • Shortbread Cookies – my favorite cookies all year long! 
  • Slice and Bake Colorful Swirl Cookies
  • Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
  • Classic Oatmeal Cookies
  • Freezer Friendly Slice and Bake Shortbread Cookies
  • Gingersnap Cookies
  • Vanilla Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies
  • Italian Ricotta Christmas Cookies – A Family Tradition
Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Best Italian Christmas Cookies

Yield: 56 to 60 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Best Italian Christmas Cookies – lemony cookies topped with a sweetened glaze and fun colorful sprinkles. These are a classic Italian cookie that can be served year round but are very popular around the holidays.

Ingredients

For the Cookies

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter; softened
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract - see not below

For the Glaze

  • 3 1/2 cups powdered/confectioner's sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup warm milk - see note below

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer beat together the sugar and butter.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time.
  5. Beat in the lemon extract.
  6. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually beat in the flour mixture until all is blended.
  7. Using a small cookie scoop, place the cookies on a baking tray that's been lined with parchment paper.
  8. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until the bottoms are a light golden brown.
  9. Remove the cookies from the baking tray to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Prepare the glaze by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. If you find that the glaze is too thick, add another few tablespoons of milk.
  11. Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and immediately add the nonpareils or crushed candy cane pieces. The glaze hardens pretty quickly so if you wait too long, the sprinkles will not stick.
  12. Let the cookies set until dried completely.

Notes

Feel free to substitute the lemon extract with anise, orange or even vanilla extract if you prefer.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Baking Trays
    Baking Trays
  •  Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
     Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
  • Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop for Baking
    Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop for Baking
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 56 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.

© Lois
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Desserts


6 Comments

About Lois

Originally from Queens, NY, Lois now calls northeastern PA home. You can find her blogging over at Walking on Sunshine where she shares a little of her life, but more importantly what’s for dinner at her house tonight.

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Comments

  1. Susan says

    December 17, 2020 at 8:34 am

    They look amazing. Can you substitute lemon juice for lemon extract?

    Reply
    • Lois says

      December 17, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      No, you can substitute vanilla extract for the lemon extract but do not use lemon juice. Thank you for visiting!

      Reply
  2. Sarah @ The DIY Mommy says

    December 11, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    These look so yummy! Love trying new Christmas cookie recipes, will have to try these for sure!

    Reply
  3. Beverly says

    December 6, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Lois,
    Wow, these cookies look amazing. Congratulations, you are being featured at Over The Moon Linky Party. I hope you stop by.
    Hugs,
    Bev

    Reply
  4. Patricia Knight says

    November 17, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    These sound amazing. My friends in Mexico will love having them for their holiday. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lois says

      November 17, 2020 at 11:49 pm

      I hope they enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

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