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These Italian Christmas cookies are soft and tender and have a nostalgic holiday taste, perfect for any festive gathering. The anise extract gives them that classic flavor, but feel free to substitute it with vanilla, lemon, or almond if you prefer. They are simple yet elegant, topped with a sweet glaze and colorful sprinkles that make them sparkle on any dessert table.
Get more ideas for traditional Italian Christmas Foods.
Why you’ll love these …
These traditional Italian Christmas cookies are a staple in our home during Christmas and holidays. They are also known as Italian anise, wedding, or Anginetti cookies. Here’s why you will love these:
- Classic holiday flavor: The subtle sweetness and delicate hint of anise (or your favorite extract) bring that nostalgic taste of Christmas.
- Soft and tender: The sweet cake-like cookie has a light, pillowy texture that melts in your mouth.
- Versatile and customizable: You can easily make them your own with simple ingredient swaps and flavor variations.
- Colorful and beautiful: The glazed finish and festive sprinkles make them a delightful addition to any holiday dessert spread.
- Perfect for gifting: They store well and look gorgeous in gift boxes, making them ideal for sharing the joy of the season. I’ve brought these cookies to various cookie exchange parties, and they are always a hit!
You’ll also love our Italian fig cookies and Italian butter cookies. See all Christmas dessert ideas.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
These simple ingredients create soft, flavorful cookies with a sweet and creamy glaze!
Cookies
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a soft texture.
- Butter: Softened butter provides richness and a tender crumb.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add moisture.
- Anise extract (or other flavors): Traditional flavoring with a slight licorice flavor, but can be swapped with vanilla, almond, lemon, or orange for different flavor profiles.
- All-purpose flour: The base of the dough gives structure to the cookies.
- Baking powder: Helps the cookies rise and gives them a light, fluffy texture.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies.
Glaze
- Confectioners’ sugar: Creates a smooth and sweet glaze.
- Milk: Thins out the glaze for easy dipping.
- Almond, vanilla, or lemon extract: Adds flavor to the glaze, complementing the cookie’s taste.
- Colored sprinkles: Decorative touch that adds a festive, fun look to the cookies.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Italian Christmas Cookies
These classic Italian sprinkle cookies are fun to make.
Make the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and anise extract (or preferred extract) and mix until well combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients.
Mix to combine, do not overmix.
Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop 1-inch dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Chill the balls of dough before baking to prevent spreading.
Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or until they are firm and lightly golden on the bottom.
Remove the baked cookies from the oven and transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Glaze the Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and your choice of extract until smooth and pourable.
Once the cookies are completely cool, dip each one into the glaze, letting any excess drip off.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the colorful sprinkles.
Let the cookies sit until the glaze hardens.
Store the cookies in an airtight container. They can be stacked once the glaze is fully dry.
These homemade Italian Christmas cookies are the perfect addition to any cookie tray or any special occasion.
FAQs
To make the Italian Christmas cookie dough ahead of time, refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze the dough (before baking) for up to 3 months. To freeze, shape the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
Absolutely! You can freeze the baked cookies (unglazed) in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Glaze them after thawing for the best results.
The dough is supposed to be soft and slightly sticky. Chilling it in the refrigerator will help firm it up and make it easier to handle.
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions:
- Anise Extract: Swap for vanilla, almond, lemon, or orange extract for a different flavor profile.
- Butter: Use margarine or a plant-based butter substitute for a dairy-free option.
- Milk (in glaze): Substitute with almond milk, oat milk, or water if needed.
Variations:
- Chocolate Glaze: Replace the traditional glaze with a chocolate glaze by mixing powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and milk.
- Citrus Zest: Add lemon or orange zest to the cookie dough for a refreshing citrus twist.
- Festive Toppings: Use different sprinkles or colored sugars to match holiday themes (like red and green for Christmas).
How to Store Cookies
Store the Italian Christmas cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze them (unglazed) for up to 2-3 months and glaze after thawing.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
Key tips for the best Italian Christmas cookies:
- Glaze immediately before serving: The glaze gives the cookies a beautiful, shiny finish. Adding sprinkles right after dipping will make them stick perfectly.
- Chill the dough: This step ensures that the cookies hold their shape and don’t spread too much while baking.
- Sift dry ingredients: Sifting the flour, baking powder, and salt ensures a smooth and evenly mixed dough.
More Italian Cookie Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Print
Italian Christmas Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: about 24 cookies 1x
Description
These Italian Christmas cookies are soft and tender and have a nostalgic holiday taste, perfect for any festive gathering. The anise extract gives them that classic flavor, but feel free to substitute it with vanilla, lemon, or almond if you prefer. They are simple yet elegant, topped with a sweet glaze and colorful sprinkles that make them sparkle on any dessert table.
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract (or substitute with vanilla, orange, almond, or lemon extracts)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla extract, or lemon extract (or flavor of choice)
- Colored sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and anise extract (or preferred extract) and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to help it firm up.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop 1-inch dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or until they are firm and lightly golden on the bottom.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and your choice of extract until smooth and pourable.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, dip each one into the glaze, letting any excess drip off.
- Top with colored sprinkles immediately after dipping, before the glaze sets. Let the cookies sit until the glaze hardens.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container. They can be stacked once the glaze is fully dry.
These cookies are perfect for the holiday season!
Notes
Top Tips:
Chill the dough: Don’t skip the 30-minute refrigeration step! It helps the dough firm up, making it easier to handle and preventing the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Measure flour accurately: Too much flour can make the cookies dense. Use the spoon-and-level method to avoid packing the flour. or, better weigh the flour in grams.
Don’t overbake: Bake until just lightly golden. Overbaking can result in a dry texture.
Cool before glazing: Ensure cookies are completely cooled before dipping in the glaze to prevent it from melting and becoming too runny.
Glaze and sprinkle immediately: After dipping each cookie in the glaze, immediately add sprinkles to ensure they stick properly.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Sweet
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
I’ve made these cookies a few times. They are so good and my family loves them!!! Thank you for the recipe!! And thanks for all of your recipes!
Yay! Happy you love them so much.
Easy and Yummy. I made these for Christmas Eve. They baked up well. I used almond flavoring. It was good.
Yum! Love them with almond. I am happy you loved them!
These are a family favorite for a good reason! You will love these!