PrintBakery-Style Italian Butter Cookies: Soft and Melt-in-Your-Mouth
Make tender, buttery Italian cookies that taste like they came from a pastry shop. This recipe uses simple steps to create soft, piped cookies perfect for gifting or enjoying with coffee.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 27 min
- Yield: About 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional toppings: melted chocolate, chopped pistachios, powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture is light and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until everything is well combined.
- Sift the flour and salt into the wet ingredients. Stir until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (like a Wilton 1M or similar).
- Pipe shapes such as rings, swirls, or straight lines onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about one inch between cookies.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, watching closely until the edges are just lightly golden.
- Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet before moving them.
- Decorate as desired: dust with powdered sugar, dip the ends in melted chocolate, or sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Notes
- If your dough feels too stiff to pipe, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
- For a true bakery touch, sandwich two cooled cookies together with a thin layer of raspberry jam or melted chocolate.
- These cookies are excellent for holiday trays and require no chilling time, unlike some other cookie doughs. This saves time compared to complex meal planning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 25mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg