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Italian Cuisine Expert and Food Blogger
Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
During my childhood in Italy, when Christmas was just around the corner, I would often be greeted with a big batch of colorful Italian Christmas cookies with sweet sugar glaze on the kitchen counter upon my return from school. My mom loved to bake these delicious cookies and share with neighbors and family members during the holidays.
So, if you love a delicious, one batch cookie recipe look no further. I have got you covered for your next Christmas cookie exchange with this super simple and delicious cookie recipe that you can whip up in no time.
Make the cookie dough: Start by putting the oil, eggs, white sugar and extract of your choice into a large mixing bowl (photo 1) and stir together with a spoon by hand (in a mixer with paddle attachment) until combined (photo 2).
Now stir in the salt, baking powder and flour (photo 3), adding the last in slowly until all combined (photo 4). Do not over-mix.
Roll and freeze the dough balls: Use a cookie scoop to get just the right amount of dough, about 1 Tbsp (photo 5), and roll it into a ball in your hands and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue to roll dough balls until all the dough has been used (photo 6). Chill balls in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Get the oven ready and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. When up to temperature, put the cookies straight into the hot oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up but are still white on top and lightly browned underneath (photo 7). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before moving the cookies to a rack until completely cooled (photo 8).
Make glaze, dip cookies and add sprinkles: Heat the milk or cream in a small saucepan until warm, do not boil. Combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl (photo 9) and whisk together, then slowly add the warm milk or cream to the bowl and whisk in until you get a smooth and creamy consistency (photo 10). It will be thin, but it shouldn’t be completely runny.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze (photo 11) and then sprinkle them with a generous amount of Christmas-colored sprinkles right away and put them back on the wire rack for the glaze to harden (photo 12).
Other traditional Italian cookies recipes for you to try it out:
While you can freeze the cookies already baked, the very best way to freeze them is before you have baked them when they are still dough balls. Put them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they are hard. Then transfer them to a ziploc bag or freezer safe container and you can keep them frozen for up to 3 months. When you are in the mood for some warm delicious cookies, just pull the frozen cookies out of the freezer and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and follow the instructions for baking (adding a minute or two more).
You can store the cookies in an airtight container, or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, for up to one week. Unglazed cookies can be kept for longer, up to 10 days.
I wanna do this, put it in a box or jar and give it as a gift to my friends. Cookies made with love.