© Owlbbaking, LLC. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from owner is strictly prohibited. Click here for round-up feature consent.
71 Shares
Jump to Recipe
Italian Wedding Cookies are a delightful treat, with a delicate texture and nutty flavor. Inside, you'll find a tender, soft, shortbread made with finely ground almonds. On the outside, these cookies are coated in powdered sugar for a beautiful finish that adds an extra layer of sweetness. Together they create the perfect marriage of flavor! Check out this easy recipe for traditional Italian wedding cookies!
I love Italian Wedding Cookies! They are a delightful cookie that can be enjoyed any time of day. They are buttery, nutty, and melt in your mouth.
These are great to make any time of year, but are especially popular at the holidays along with other Christmas cookies. They're not overly sweet which makes them a real crowd pleaser!
What Are Italian Wedding Cookies?
They are extremely similar, and in some cases also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, snowball cookies, butterballs, and Russian Tea Cakes.
All of these cookies feature finely ground nuts, sugar, butter and eggs, and the cookies are rolled into small balls, baked, and coated in powdered sugar.
Sometimes Italian Wedding Cookies are also known as the little cakey cookies with sprinkles on top, Anginetti, but the key indicator of a wedding cookie is the powdered sugar coating
Since then, this iconic cookie has been enjoyed throughout Europe and around the world. Today you can find Italian wedding cookies at almost any Italian bakery or restaurant where they are served as an after-dinner treat or at special occasions such as weddings.
The Best Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe
In the case of Italian wedding cookies, simple is better.
This is a cookie made with very simple, easy to find ingredients (they're also egg free!).
Ingredients You Need
Most Italian wedding cookies recipes call for finely ground almonds, made by processing whole almonds in a food processor. I took a shortcut here and used store-bought almond flour, but you can use either.
If you want to grind your own almonds for this recipe, all that's required is a food processor and some almonds.
Just be sure to pulse them in short bursts and not keep the food processor running the whole time, as this could release the nut oils and you'll end up with almond butter! When done correctly, the ground almonds should still have a bit of texture to them.
You'll also need unsalted butter (salted butter can work too, just omit any additional salt), all purpose flour, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. I love vanilla extract in this recipe but you can bump up the almond flavor by adding almond extract as well.
Flavor Variations
Changing this recipe will result in a less traditional Italian wedding cookie recipe, but you can certainly customize it to your own taste!
The Best Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe is a perfect base recipe that can be adapted to suit your particular tastes. If you want a more intense nutty flavor, feel free to add more almond extract.
If you'd like to experiment with different spices, why not try adding cardamom, cinnamon or allspice? You can also substitute the ground almonds for other nuts such as hazelnuts or walnuts for an entirely new flavor experience.
If you're looking for a bit more texture, try adding some chopped almonds. Mini chocolate chips would be a nice addition too!
How to Make Italian Wedding Cookies
To start this easy cookie recipe, you'll need softened butter.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together and extract until light and fluffy. I like to use a hand mixer here to have more control over mixing the dough, but you can use a stand mixer as well.
Then, add the almond flour and all purpose flour. Gradually mix until combined on medium speed, do not over mix.
The dough will look crumbly but should hold together nicely when pressed in the palm of your hand.
You can use a small ice cream scoop to form the dough balls which will help ensure they are all uniform in size.
Place the dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving some space in between. If you don't have parchment paper you can place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. They shouldn't stick since they have so much butter!
You also do not need to flatten the cookie dough.
You will want to bake these cookies until they are just barely golden brown. Otherwise they will dry out and be too crumble. The cookies should be completely firm, yet still tender.
Allow the warm cookies to cool slightly on the tray, and then cool completely on a cooling rack before coating in the powdered sugar coating.
Shape Variations
There's a lot you can do with this dough in terms of shaping.
Many people like to make crescent shapes instead of balls. This is a very classic shape that you'll find in a lot of bakeries.
I came across these pretty silicone flower molds which paired so lovely with the theme of wedding cookies, and they worked out great!
To use this cookie dough with silicone molds, follow these steps:
- Press the dough firmly into the mold.
- Freeze the mold for 10 minutes so that the shape firms up.
- Gently pop the formed dough out of the mold..
- Bake until lightly golden brown (it make take more or less time depending on the size of your mold. The flower one I used shown in this post had a bake time of 10 minutes).
- You may want to skip coating them in powdered sugar as detailed shapes do not come through as well (which is why I left the flower cookies bare).
Finishing the Cookies
Once ready, place the powdered sugar in a bag, drop the cookies in and give them a light shake. Be sure that the cookies are perfectly coated with the sugar and there are no bare spots on the cookie.
Again, be sure that the cookies are cool completely before coating! If they are not cool, the powdered sugar will melt.
Remove the cookies from the bag and place them on your serving plate or storage container. You can give the cookie a gentle tap to remove the extra powdered sugar.
If you are plating these cookies immediately, it will help to remove the excess and not make a mess on the plate/cookie tray!
Discard any remaining confectioners sugar.
Make Ahead Tips
Making Italian wedding cookies ahead of time is a great way to save time. The cookies can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
If you're prepping them for a party, just bake them the day before and store them until you're ready to serve.
How Long Can You Store the Cookies?
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Italian wedding cookies are best stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Can You Freeze Italian Wedding Cookies?
Yes, these cookies freeze very well!
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed as needed before serving.
If storing them in the freezer, make sure to wrap them tightly so they don't absorb any odors or flavors from other foods.
Is Powdered Sugar the Same Thing as Confectioner's Sugar?
Yes! Confectioners sugar, powdered sugar, and 10x sugar are all the same thing and can be used for this recipe.
Are Italian wedding cookies the same thing as Mexican wedding cookies?
Italian wedding cookies and Mexican wedding cookies are both types of sweet, nut-based cookies that are traditionally served around special occasions.
The main difference between the two is preparation. Italian wedding cookies typically contain almonds or hazelnuts and are flavored with almond extract, vanilla extracts and spices like cinnamon or anise.
Mexican wedding cookies, on the other hand, use a combination of ground nuts such as pecans and walnuts, as well as butter, sugar and sometimes chocolate chips.
More Italian Cookie Recipes You'll Love
Italian Butter Cookies
Pizzelle
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Italian Ricotta Cookies
Italian Fig Cookies (Cuccidati)
Italian Wedding Cookies
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
No reviews
Save Recipe
Italian Wedding Cookies are a delightful treat, with a delicate texture and nutty flavor. Inside, you'll find a tender, soft, shortbread made with finely ground almonds. On the outside, these cookies are coated in powdered sugar for a beautiful finish that adds an extra layer of sweetness. Together they create the perfect marriage of flavor! Check out this easy recipe for traditional Italian wedding cookies!
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
Ingredients
Units Scale
For the Cookies
- 1 c of unsalted butter (room temp)
- ½ c powdered sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 c almond flour
- 2 ½ c all purpose flour
For the Coating
- ½ c powdered sugar
Instructions
- To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and extracts.
- Cream the mixture for 1 minute, to incorporate air into the butter, which is crucial to the recipe.
- Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour to the butter mixture, and mix on low-medium speed with a hand mixer until the ingredients are fully combined. The mixture will be crumbly but should form a ball when squeezed together.
- Next, using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, form the dough into balls.
- Place the dough balls about 1-inch apart from each other on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, monitoring the cookies closely at the 12 minute mark to ensure they do not brown too much. These cookies should only show a hint of light browning on the edges to show they are done.
- Once done baking, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes,then transfer them to a wire rack to complete the cooling process.
- In a large zip lock bag, add the powdered sugar and gently toss the cookies to coat.
Notes
Recipe by Owlbbaking.com
To shape this cookie dough with silicone molds, follow these steps:
- Dust mold with powdered sugar.
- Press the dough lightly into the mold.
- Freeze the mold for 10 minutes so that the shape firms up.
- Gently pop the formed dough out of the mold..
- Bake until lightly golden brown (it make take more or less time depending on the size of your mold. The flower one I used shown in this post had a bake time of 10 minutes).
- You may want to skip coating them in powdered sugar as detailed shapes do not come through as well (which is why I left the flower cookies bare).
** if you only have salted butter on hand, omit added salt
- Author: Liz at Owlbbaking
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 188
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 59.8 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 24.4 mg
