Description
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these delightful Italian Cookies, featuring a soft, fluffy texture and a sweet anise-flavored glaze topped with colorful sprinkles. Perfectly light and tender, these cookies are easy to make and ideal for large gatherings, delivering a festive treat everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons anise extract (can substitute with vanilla or lemon extract)
Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- Colorful sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined; set this mixture aside.
- Melt Butter and Shortening: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and shortening together. Once melted, add granulated sugar to this mixture and stir well to combine.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Transfer the sugar and melted butter mixture to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated. Add the anise extract for flavor and mix thoroughly.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until blended. If the dough feels too sticky to roll, add a little more flour until it is soft but manageable.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into small balls, keeping in mind they will puff up during baking due to the baking powder. Place them on ungreased cookie sheets with some space between each.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The bottoms should be lightly browned while the tops remain light in color. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Glaze: In a bowl, gradually mix milk into the sifted confectioners’ sugar to create a thick glaze. Keep the consistency thick enough to coat the cookies without dripping excessively.
- Glaze and Decorate: Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, then immediately sprinkle with colorful jimmies or nonpareils while the glaze is still wet. Place the glazed cookies back on the wire rack (with wax paper underneath for easy cleanup). Repeat until all cookies are glazed and decorated.
Notes
- Use vanilla or lemon extract as an alternative to anise extract for a different flavor twist.
- Ensure cookies are completely cooled before glazing to prevent melting the glaze.
- Roll cookies small as they puff up considerably during baking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- Using wax paper under the wire racks makes cleanup much easier when glazing.
