Italian Easter Cookies (Printable Version)

Delicate lemon-kissed cookies with vanilla icing and festive sprinkles, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
09 - 2 tablespoons milk

→ Icing

10 - 1 cup powdered sugar
11 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
12 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Decoration

13 - Colored sprinkles (nonpareils or confetti)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, alternating with milk, mixing until soft dough forms.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll into 4-inch logs, shape into rings, and pinch ends to seal.
07 - Place rings on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden. Cool completely on wire rack.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and slightly thick.
10 - Dip top of each cooled cookie into icing, sprinkle with colored sprinkles, and allow icing to set before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're impossibly soft and pillowy, not cakey or dry like so many holiday cookies can be
  • The lemon essence makes them feel special without being overwhelming or perfumed
  • Dipping them in icing is somehow therapeutic, and watching kids cover themselves in sprinkles is half the fun
02 -
  • The dough is soft and slightly sticky, but resist adding more flour or these cookies will become tough
  • Let the icing set completely before stacking them, or they'll stick together in one big cookie clump
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients truly matter here, especially the butter and eggs, so plan ahead and set everything out an hour before baking
  • Zest your lemons before juicing them if you're using fresh lemons for anything else, and avoid zesting the bitter white pith

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