Italian wedding cookies are easy buttery and nutty cookies made with 6 simple ingredients in just 30 minutes. The texture of these cookies is amazing (similar to shortbread), and they literally melt in your mouth!
Homemade Italian Wedding Cookies
These cookies are perfect for the holidays! So we make them every Christmas, but they’re also great for any occasion or no occasion. And we all love a little homemade cookie with our teas and coffees, don’t we? 😉
These cookies are very similar to Mexican wedding cookies, Russian teacakes, and butterballs. The main difference is that Italian wedding cookies are made with ground almonds or almond flour. These cookies can also be shaped into crescents and then are either rolled in powdered sugar or glazed with a simple sugar glaze.
They are incredibly easy to make, and there’s no dough chilling required. Just mix the ingredients together, shape into balls, bake, and roll in powdered sugar.
The Ingredients
You only need 6 simple ingredients to make these delicious cookies! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter – I use unsalted butter, and it must be softened to room temperature or to 60-65°F.
- Powdered sugar – divided, you will use just a fourth cup to make the dough and the rest will be used to roll the cookies in.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour and don’t recommend using other types of flour.
- Almond flour – or ground almonds! If you don’t have either, you can easily grind up some blanched or unblanched almonds using a nut grinder or a food processor.
- Vanilla – use pure vanilla extract, the best that you can afford.
- Salt – salt is used to bake sweet things to enhance flavors and balance the sweetness. It also helps improve the texture, so do not skip it.
Note: The ingredients shown in the image above makes half a batch (15 cookies in total).
How to Make Italian Wedding Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute until creamy to trap some air in the butter (this is very important).
- Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour to the butter mixture, and mix with the hand mixer on low-medium speed until well combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop about 1 tablespoon portions and roll into balls.
- Place the cookie balls 1-inch apart, then bake for 15-17 minutes but keep watching the cookies so they don’t brown.
- Cool the cookies on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
When to Roll Cookies in Powdered Sugar
Roll each cookie in powdered sugar while still a bit warm, then roll again and sprinkle with more powdered sugar before serving for presentation just like you do when making snowball cookies!
If you roll the cookies while they’re still super warm, this will melt the sugar and create a sticky layer. So I recommend that you only roll them once they have cooled down but still slightly warm to give it a nice coating.
Are powdered sugar and confectioner’s sugar the same thing?
Yes! It’s basically finely ground sugar, and can be sold under either label in the store. To prevent the sugar from clumping, a small percentage of cornstarch is added to the powdered sugar (this is already done for you when buying store-bought powdered sugar).
Cookie Variations
Extracts: This recipe uses pure vanilla extract, but to change things up, you can use almond, peppermint, or cinnamon extract.
Nuts: You don’t have to use almonds if you don’t like them or if they’re not available to you. Substitute with pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts. To maximize the nutty flavor, add some chopped nuts that are a bit coarse to the mixture.
Success Tips
- There is no leavening in this recipe, so the key for this recipe to work is to cream the butter well so trap some air in it.
- The best way to make cookies that are uniform in size is to use a small cookie scoop and then roll the balls with your hands.
- I usually use a silicone mat for all of my baking, but if you don’t have one, then make sure to use parchment paper to avoid cookies from sticking.
- Set the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven prior to baking.
- This recipe makes 30 cookies in total but can be easily doubled or tripled.
- If your cookies flattened for some reason, it means that there is not enough flour in the dough for the fat to hold onto. So add more flour to the next batch to fix this problem.
Storing Tips
These cookies are best enjoyed at room temperature, here’s how to store them:
- At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If you have layers, then I recommend that you stack with parchment paper in between to avoid the cookies from sticking.
- Freezer: Freeze unbaked cookies on a sheet pan in the freezer for 30 minutes, then freeze in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. If you would like to freeze baked cookies, then freeze them without rolling them in powdered sugar for best results.
Looking For More Christmas Cookie Recipes? Try These!
- Spiced rum slice and bake cookies
- Christmas pinwheel cookies
- Chocolate peppermint cookies
- Soft monster cookies
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Italian Wedding Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks 8oz (225g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (50g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
To roll the cookies
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute until creamy to trap some air in the butter (this is very important).
- Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour to the butter mixture, and mix with the hand mixer on low-medium speed until well combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop about 1 tablespoon portions and roll into balls.
- Place the cookie balls 1-inch apart, then bake for 15-17 minutes but keep watching the cookies so they don’t brown.
- Cool the cookies on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
Notes
- At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If you have layers, then I recommend that you stack with parchment paper in between to avoid the cookies from sticking.
- Freezer: Freeze unbaked cookies on a sheet pan in the freezer for 1 hour, then freeze in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. If you would like to freeze baked cookies, then freeze them without rolling them in powdered sugar for best results.
- At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If you have layers, then I recommend that you stack with parchment paper in between to avoid the cookies from sticking.
- Freezer: Freeze unbaked cookies on a sheet pan in the freezer for 30 minutes, then freeze in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. If you would like to freeze baked cookies, then freeze them without rolling them in powdered sugar for best results.
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