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Italian Christmas Cookies

- MAKES
- 36 (about 3 dozen)
- COOK TIME
- 12 Min
What's a cookie platter or exchange without a few Italian Christmas Cookies? Well, you'll be all set with these easy-to-make, fun-to-decorate, everybody-loves 'em favorites.
What You'll Need
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon or almond extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 eggs
Glaze- 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- Rainbow sprinkles and decorating sugar for topping (optional)
What to Do
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Coat baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, oil, milk, salt, extract, lemon juice, and eggs. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are set but not brown. Let sit 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, combine glaze ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Dip tops of cooled cookies in glaze and place on wire rack then immediately decorate as desired.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Options
- If you want to decorate your cookies with multiple colors, separate glaze into smaller bowls and mix in food colors one drop at a time until reaching desired colors. If you want to add a flavor to your glaze, add a drop of your favorite extract.
- Italian Christmas Cookies are so cute when decorated, which is why they make great gifts any time of the year. Wrap a few in a pretty gift bag and pass 'em out to your loved ones or sale them at a bake sale. You can even send them in the mail with these tips on how to mail & store cookies.
- Even though these are called Italian Christmas Cookies, we love to make them year-round. They're great for Easter, potlucks, and birthday parties.
- Looking for more Christmas cookie recipes? Then be sure to check out our Christmas Cookie Countdown with 25 different cookie recipes.
- Be sure to download your free copy of our eCookbook, 12 Days of Christmas Cookies II, with for some more easy cookie recipes.
Nutritional InformationShow More
Servings Per Recipe: 36
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Calories 179
- Calories from Fat 60
- Total Fat 6.7g 10 %
- Saturated Fat 1.0g 5 %
- Trans Fat 0.0g 0 %
- Protein 2.4g 5 %
- Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 11mg 4 %
- Sodium 76mg 3 %
- Total Carbohydrates 28g 9 %
- Dietary Fiber 0.5g 2 %
- Sugars 14g 0 %
jwells3564 2630154
Mar 22, 2018
Does 5 cups flour really only make 3 dozen cookies?
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Test Kitchen Team
Mar 23, 2018
Hi there! That is the correct amount of flour for this recipe. :)
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angelobonito 2061440
Dec 15, 2014
I made a batch of these and the dough was way too wet to roll so I came back to the site to see if I had made a mistake on the amount of oil or milk or to see if the recipe had been modified. Anyway, I added another cup of flour and 1/3 cup of sugar and it was still not rollable. I used a small cookie scoop with the squeeze release and was able to drop the dough on the pans. They cooked up well and tasted fine with frosting that I also added 2 Tsp of lemon juice.
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rosebud3162000 6471584
Nov 11, 2015
These are not a cookie cutter type cookie, you roll the little ball of dough in your hand then put on cookie sheet.
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Tators Mom
Dec 21, 2012
Can I use Soy milk instead of regular milk?
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ceakin
Dec 13, 2010
Can I make and freeze these cookies? I am going to make them for the teachers at school as a Christmas gift. I love how festive they look, and will be delicious! Should I freeze before I glaze and decorate them? Thank you.
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dchancey212 8208472
Nov 30, 2012
I make these all the time, especially for weddings. Freeze them before you glaze and decorate.
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necahi65 5976938
Jul 25, 2013
You can freeze these frosted. I do it all the time. I have a very similar recipe from my Italian Grandmother.
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