Best Recipes for
Italian Christmas Cookies
These are the best recipes I've collected from my relatives for authentic Italian Christmas Cookies. Your family and guests will be impressed with your baking skills!
Make them a couple of days ahead of time and enjoy them this Christmas as the delectable conclusion to your
Christmas Dinner Menu!
The following Italian Christmas Cookie recipes are from my dear Aunt Teresa. She bakes her Italian Christmas Cookies each year - it's a tradition!
Sesame Seed Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks butter - room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 jumbo egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
large handful of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
Directions:
Combine the flour, salt and baking powder and sift together in a medium bowl.
In another bowl, blend the butter with a fork into the sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a
time to the blended butter and sugar and mix. Add the vanilla and mix well. Combine the flour
mixutre and the butter mixture and work with hands until doughy. Form the dough into a ball.
Cover the dough ball in the bowl with plastic wrap and refridgerate until cold.
Lightly flour cutting board and roll the dough into long strips about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut the strips into 2 inch logs. Dip each log into the heavy cream and roll onto the
sesame seeds to coat well. Place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 600 degrees F for
approximately 9 minutes.
Strufoli or Honey Balls are classic Italian Christmas cookies. We serve them every Christmas and everyone loves them.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Oil for deep-fat frying
1 cup honey
Candy sprinkles
Directions
In a bowl, combine sugar, lemon peel, vanilla and salt.
Add eggs and 2 cups flour; mix well.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour (dough will be soft).
With a floured knife or scissors, cut into 20 pieces.
With hands, roll each piece into log shapes about 1/2 inch thick. Cut "logs" into
1/2-in. pieces.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 350°. Fry pieces, a few at a time,
for 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Place in a large bowl. Heat honey to boiling; pour over cookies and mix well.
With a slotted spoon, spoon onto a serving platter and slowly mound into a tree shape if desired. Or you can make individual servings by spooning a large spoonful into cupcake tins. Decorate with candy sprinkles. Cool completely. Yield: about 15 dozen.
These Italian Christmas Cookies look like snow balls.
Christmas Walnut Cookies
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons walnuts (you may use pecans or almonds too),finely ground
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups sifted flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar for topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter in a bowl. Gradually add confectioners sugar and salt.
Beat until light and fluffy. Add nuts and vanilla. Blend well. Now add the flour and mix
with mixer. Shape into small balls using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes - DO NOT BROWN. Cool slightly.
Roll each cookie into the confectioners sugar. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
The Pecan Crescents Italian Christmas Cookies look like they were dipped in snow.
Pecan Crescents
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup crushed pecans
1 3/4 cups flour
Confectioners sugar for topping
Directions:
In a large bowl and with an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla
until fluffy. Add the pecans and mix well. While mixer is on low, gradually beat in the
flour until just blended. Don't over mix. Cover the dough with plastic wrap
and chill for 1 hour until firm.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees F and use an ungreased cookie sheet.
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Lightly flour a cutting board and roll the dough
into 8 long ropes. Cut each rope into 8 individual 1 inch pieces. Shape them into crescents.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. While still warm, roll
them in the confectioners sugar. Makes 64 cookies.
These Italian Christmas Cookies are so colorful and festive looking!
I believe these Italian Christmas Cookies originated in Venice.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond paste
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
dash of salt
5 drops green food coloring
4 drops red food coloring
2/3 cup apricot preserves
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
Lightly grease the bottoms of three 8 inch square pans. Line with wax paper and grease the
paper.
Place the almond paste in a large bowl, Add the butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract.
Beat with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the flour and salt. In a small bowl,
beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Stir in 1/4 of the whites into the dough,
then fold in the remaining whites. Dough will be stiff.
Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Tint one part green with food coloring and another part
red. Leave the remaining portion white. Spread each part into the prepared pans. Bake
at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes. Immediately invert onto wire racks. Remove the waxed
paper. Do the same for each pan. Cool completely.
Place the green layer on a large piece of plastic wrap. Spread with 1/3 cup of the apricot
preserves. Place the white layer on top and spread with remaining apricot preserves. Top
with the red layer. Bring plastic wrap over the layers and place in a baking dish. Place a
cutting board over the pan to flatten the layers. Refrigerate for 8 hours.
Melt chocolate in the microwave. Remove dessert from pan and plastic wrap.
Spread the melted chocolate over the top. Let stand until the chocolate is set. Using
a sharp knife, cut into 2 inch bars. Makes about 2 dozen. Beautiful and delicious!
These Italian Christmas Cookies are one of my favorite - probably because they're chocolate!
Chocolate Biscotti
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the sugar,
cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to the butter mixture just until combined.
Mixture will be crumbly.
Lightly flour cutting board and knead the dough mixture with the almonds and
chocolate chips. Divide dough in half. On an ungreased baking sheet, shape each part into
12 inch x 3 inch log. Make sure to leave a 3 inch space between the logs.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are cracked. Cool for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally with a sharp knife into 1/2 inch
slices.
Put back on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until firm and dry.
Remove and cool completely on wire racks. Makes about 3 dozen. Great dunked in milk or coffee!
Enjoy baking our traditional Italian Christmas Cookies!
Your family and friends will rave about them -guaranteed!
Maybe they will become your tradition too!
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