Frosted Italian Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift flour and baking powder together into a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in almond extract. Add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time; mix on low speed until incorporated. Roll batter into teaspoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While cookies are baking, beat confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract for icing in a bowl until smooth.
• Set cooled cookies close together on a cookie sheet. Frost with icing and sprinkle with nonpareils.

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH ANISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar for dough together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and anise extract and blend. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into butter mixture until blended.
• Take a ping pong-sized ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a rope. Connect the ends and twist into a figure 8 shape. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix milk into confectioners' sugar for icing, stirring slowly. Add the anise extract and vanilla extract.
• Dip cooled cookies into the icing face-down and lay on wax paper or a wire rack.

ICED ITALIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until soft and creamy.
• Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
• Combine flour and baking powder, then blend into the butter mixture.
• Break off small, walnut sized pieces of dough and shape into bows, braids, knots,"s" shapes, or any shape you desire.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.
• Cool on wire racks,then ice as desired.
• Icing: Blend sugar and your choice of flavoring, adding milk slowly to form a soft, smooth icing (some ice the cookies while they are still warm, others wait until they are cooled).
• Sprinkle with colored sugar or confettini (tiny multi-colored sprinkles) before icing sets.

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS FROSTED COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in ricotta and vanilla.
• Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In a bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Store in the refrigerator.

TENDER ITALIAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Shape dough into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For icing, in a small bowl, combine milk, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Tint with food coloring if desired. Dip tops of cookies in icing; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.

SUGAR COOKIE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

ITALIAN FROSTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Stir orange zest into flour mixture. Mix vegetable shortening and margarine into dry ingredients, using your hands, until mixture is crumbly.
• Beat eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until foamy; add egg mixture, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup milk to flour mixture and knead dough in the bowl until thoroughly combined and dough doesn't stick to your hands, about 8 minutes. Dough will be stiff. Knead cream cheese thoroughly into dough, followed by walnuts.
• Form dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on racks.
• Beat 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon orange juice, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; gradually beat in remaining confectioners' sugar until frosting is thick and drizzles slowly from a spoon.
• Dip tops of cookies into frosting and place frosted cookies on racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let cookies dry overnight.