Name: Italian Christmas Cookies (Anginetti)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 3 h 26 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2¼ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ cup salted butter, softened; ½ cup granulated sugar; 3 large eggs; 1½ teaspoons almond extract; 2 cups powdered sugar; 2–3 tablespoons milk; 1 teaspoon almond extract; ¼ cup nonpareils or sprinkles

Italian Christmas Cookies (Anginetti)

Italian Christmas cookies with white almond icing and nonpareils on a white platter.

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These Italian Christmas cookies have tender centers, sweet almond icing, and a sprinkle finish. Make a batch of Anginetti for cookie trays, gifts, and coffee breaks.

Author: Jennifer
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 36 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 26 minutes
Yield: About 36 cookies 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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Cookie Dough

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract

Decoration

1/4 cup nonpareils or sprinkles

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Instructions

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder together.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl.
Add eggs individually, mixing after each. Blend in almond extract.
On low speed, gradually add flour mixture just until dough comes together.
Roll tablespoon portions into balls. Space about 1 inch apart, 12 per baking sheet. Chill at least 1 hour until firm; cover if chilling overnight.
Heat oven to 350°F toward the end of chilling. Bake chilled dough 10–12 minutes per batch until tops look dry and pale and undersides are light golden.
Rest on the baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool about 20 minutes, until completely cool.
Stir powdered sugar, almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Add remaining milk gradually as needed for icing that spreads without running off completely.
Place parchment beneath the rack. Spoon icing over a few cookies at a time or dip their tops; let excess drip off before returning to rack.
Add sprinkles while icing is tacky; if very wet, let it settle briefly. Leave uncovered about 1 hour until dry to the touch before packing.

Notes

Butter: This version uses salted butter with no added salt. With unsalted butter, whisk ¼ teaspoon salt into the flour.
Flavor: Substitute anise extract for licorice flavor or vanilla for a milder cookie. Strength varies; adjust to taste.
Chilling shortcut: Freeze shaped dough about 30 minutes, checking periodically; bake when firm before centers freeze solid.
Timing: Three batches of 12. Total allows three sequential 12-minute batches, 60 minutes chilling, 5 minutes on the pan, 20 minutes cooling and 60 minutes icing setting; tasks may overlap.
Serve with coffee, espresso or hot tea; pair with biscotti, shortbread or chocolate cookies.
Storage: Let icing set completely, then store airtight at room temperature up to 4 days with parchment between layers. Keep cool and dry to help prevent sprinkle colors bleeding.
Freeze dough: Freeze shaped balls on a lined tray until firm, then bag up to 3 months. Bake frozen a few additional minutes using the same doneness cues.
Freeze baked: For the cleanest finish freeze cooled uniced cookies up to 3 months; thaw before decorating. Iced cookies may be frozen in a single layer first, then packed with parchment between layers. Thaw in the closed container to limit condensation.

Find it online: https://jennifercooks.com/italian-christmas-cookies/