These Italian Wedding Cookies, rooted in Italy’s culinary traditions, were a staple at celebrations, especially in southern regions.
My nonna made these often, not for weddings but for practical reasons—simple ingredients, easy to prepare, and always a crowd-pleaser.
The subtle flavors of almond or anise bring back memories of her kitchen, where these cookies were as much about everyday life as they were about special occasions.
Perfect for holidays, weddings, or just a quiet moment with coffee.
Italian Wedding Cookies
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Electric mixer
- Cookie scoop
- Refrigerator
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (8 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract or anise extract
For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 –3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or anise extract
For decoration:
- 4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.½ cup sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in almond extract (or your chosen flavor).3 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Shape Dough: Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate the cookie dough balls for at least 1 hour to maintain their shape during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until they are just set and slightly golden on the bottom.
- Prepare Frosting: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk (add 1 tablespoon at a time), and almond extract to make a thick but pourable glaze.2 cups powdered sugar, 2 –3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Frost and Decorate: Once cookies are completely cooled, drizzle or dip them in the glaze. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles while the frosting is still wet.4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Notes
– Refrigerating the dough helps the cookies keep their tall shape.
– If you prefer a less sweet version, you can roll the cookies in powdered sugar instead of glazing them. Enjoy these cookies with a cup of coffee or espresso for a classic Italian treat!
Classic Italian Wedding Cookies (Anginetti Biscuit): Nonna-Level Cute, Zero Drama
You’re here because you want the cookies to look bakery-pretty without acting like you own a bakery. Excellent priorities. These are the little tricks that keep them tall, tender, and not weirdly dry.
Butter temperature is the whole personality of these cookies
Softened butter means you can press it and it gives, but it shouldn’t look shiny or melty. If it’s too warm, the dough goes sticky, the cookies spread, and you’ll be glazing little cookie puddles. If your kitchen is warm, soften the butter for less time and let the dough do more chilling.
Don’t “whip” the butter and sugar—just get it fluffy enough
Two minutes is about right: lighter, creamy, not “I’m making frosting” levels of aeration. Overdoing it can make the cookies puff, crack oddly, and bake up a little cakier than you wanted. Think: cozy, tender cookie—not cupcake cosplay.
Eggs: room temp helps, but cracking them in a bowl first helps more
Room-temp eggs blend faster and keep the batter smooth, but the real pro move is cracking each egg into a small bowl first so you don’t ruin the batch with a rogue shell (or a bad egg—yes, it happens). One tiny bowl now saves a full-body sigh later.
Extract choice: almond is sweet-cute, anise is full nonna mode
Almond extract gives that classic bakery “Italian cookie” vibe without scaring anyone. Anise is more traditional and more polarizing—people either swoon or ask what the “licorice” situation is. If you want the best of both worlds, do mostly almond with a tiny splash of anise. Anise is powerful—treat it like perfume, not vanilla.
Sticky dough? Wet hands beats flouring the dough
Flouring your hands feels logical, but extra flour can make these drier and tougher. Instead, lightly wet your palms or use a whisper of cooking spray to roll the balls cleanly. Water on hands = smooth rolling without turning your dough into drywall paste.
Chill the shaped dough balls, not the whole bowl
Chilling the whole bowl works, but chilling the already-rolled balls is easier and keeps sizes consistent. Plus, it helps them hold that tall, cute shape in the oven. This is how you get “bakery dome” instead of “sad little flatteners.”
Scoop size matters more than you think
A small cookie scoop makes them uniform, which means they bake evenly and glaze evenly—no surprise raw centers or random crunchy ones. If you’re eyeballing with a spoon, at least try to keep them consistent. Uniform cookies = you look suspiciously competent.
Bake just until set—don’t wait for “golden” on top
These are supposed to stay pale and soft, with just a hint of color on the bottoms. If you bake until the tops look golden, you’re basically choosing “drier cookie” as your lifestyle. Pull them when they look slightly underdone; carryover heat finishes the job.
Glaze thickness: aim for “ribbon,” not “waterfall”
Too thin and it slides off like sad sugar rain; too thick and it turns into a chalky shell. Start with less milk and add a few drops at a time until it falls off the spoon in a slow ribbon. Glaze is a controlled situation, not a splashy one.
Dip vs drizzle: choose based on how much patience you have
Dipping gives that classic smooth cap, but it’s messier and takes longer. Drizzling is faster and still pretty—especially once the sprinkles go on. If it’s a Tuesday, drizzle. If you’re impressing someone, dip.
Sprinkle timing is non-negotiable
Sprinkles only stick when the glaze is wet. Do a small batch of cookies at a time: glaze a few, sprinkle immediately, then move on. If you glaze everything first, you’ll be pressing sprinkles onto dry icing like a fool. Sprinkles wait for no one.
Powdered sugar option when you want less sweet
If you’re not in the mood for glaze, roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar instead. It’s simpler, less sweet, and still looks festive. It’s the “effortless elegant” version of this cookie.
Storage: keep them soft for days (without getting sticky)
Once the glaze is fully set, store them in an airtight container with parchment between layers. If your kitchen is humid, the glaze can get tacky—parchment helps and so does letting them air-dry a bit longer before stacking. The enemy of glazed cookies is trapped moisture and impatience.
Make-ahead moves that actually work
You can roll the dough balls and refrigerate overnight, then bake the next day like a genius. You can also freeze the rolled dough balls and bake from frozen—just add a minute or two and keep an eye on the bottoms. Future-you deserves cookies that require minimal effort.
