Don’t you love those tins filled with butter cookies? You buy them with the excuse of giving them to a beloved one, only to end up eating them yourself. And we don’t blame you.
They are perfect either as standalone cookies or cookies to dip in your favorite tea. Soft on the inside and crispy on the outside–what’s not to love?
However, as cute as those tins and boxes are…why not bake those cookies yourself? Not only will you be able to offer a generous serving, but it’s always more satisfying if it’s a homemade dessert, especially if baking it is not too challenging.
This authentic Italian butter cookies recipe is just as nice and easy.
It’s fundamental to use butter of excellent quality, so that together with the sugar and flour, it can give the cookies that sandy texture.
The cookies can be flavored with cinnamon or other spices, or even baked using salted butter, for those who like a contrast between sweet and salty.
Cut the butter into cubes and place them in a mixer, with the salt, granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
Mix them until they blend, forming a cream.
Sift the flour, add it to the mixture and continue to mix until it has a crumby texture.
Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board . The dough will be very soft and easily workable. Compact it, to make it smooth, then use your hands to flatten it.
Cover it with a plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator, to harden for at least half an hour.
Afterwards, take the mixture from the fridge and cut it with a knife in 4 cylinder shapes of 3 cm diameter, then cover the rolls using plastic wrap and place them in the fridge again for 3 hours, so that the dough is compact enough.
After the three hours have passed, place each cylinder in granulated sugar, making sure that the surface is even.
Using a knife, divide the cylinders in discs of 2 cm thickness, then place the cookies on baking paper over a tray.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 F) for about 15 minutes, until they get light browned.
Remove them from the oven, then immediately place them on a rack, so that they keep their sandy texture.
Note
You can decorate them with powdered sugar.
Cooking time varies depending on how thick you want them to be. Thinner biscuits need a few minutes less, while thicker biscuits will need a few minutes more.
My kids loves butter cookies and I always end up buying a pack from the supermarket. But not anymore because I already have this recipe.